Council starts sending postal vote renewal messages

Residents in Bromsgrove District who vote by post are being urged to look out for official contact from the council if they need to renew their postal vote since the law changed.

Changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022 mean all postal vote applications must now be renewed every three years. This means anyone who applied before 30 January 2024 must now renew by 31 January 2026 to continue voting by post.

The council’s elections team is now contacting affected voters.

Voters who have provided an email address will get a message from Bromsgrove and Redditch Electoral Shared Services titled: “Action Required! Your Postal Vote is Expiring. Reapply Now.”

While for voters who previously registered and didn’t provide an email address, letters will be going out from 26 September.

Electoral Services Manager Darren Whitney said: “The changes to the law mean your postal vote arrangements can no longer be in place for more than three years before you must reapply, so this is something we will be doing regularly and something voters will need to get used to doing.

“If yours is coming up for renewal, please don’t ignore our email or letter, or mistake it for spam. These are secure and official messages from the council that contain everything you need to renew your postal vote quickly and easily.”

To renew a postal vote, visit www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote. You’ll need your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number, and signature. To cancel yours, email elections@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk with your name and address.

For more information see www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/elections and for support, contact the team on elections@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk or 01527 881421.