Vote by post
Applying to vote by post
Voting by post is an easy and convenient way of voting if you're unable to get to the polling station. Anyone who's registered to vote can apply to vote by post. You do not need a reason to do so. You can have a postal vote for a specific election, or for up to 3 years.
If you're registered to vote and would like to request a postal vote, you'll need to make an application. You'll need your date of birth and National Insurance number, as well as a sample of your signature. The easiest way to do this is online; you can apply for a postal vote at GOV.UK.
You can still apply using a paper form, or at the Electoral Services Office at the Town Hall, if you prefer. You can:
- download an application form at the Electoral Commission website
- contact the Electoral Services Office to have one posted to you
Renewing your postal vote
By law, you can only have a postal vote for a maximum of 3 years. A postal vote will expire on the third 31 January following the date on which the initial application was approved.
Once those 3 years expire, you'll need to apply again for a postal vote if you want to keep voting by post or your postal vote will be removed.
If your postal vote is removed, you can apply for a new one at any time.
Pre-existing postal votes
If you had a pre-existing postal vote in place before 31 October 2023, or if your postal vote application was granted between 1 November 2023 and 30 January 2024, you must renew your postal vote by 31 January 2026 to keep voting by post.
If you provided an email address to the Elections Office and fall under the above category of postal voters, the Elections Office will email you over the course of 2025. This email will advise affected postal voters that they must reapply for their postal vote. It will be sent from electoral.services.stockport.metropolitan.borough.council@notifications.service.gov.uk.
The date you receive this email will depend on what letter your surname starts with, as shown on the following schedule.
| First letter of surname | Month you'll receive an email |
|---|---|
| A, B, C, D, E | May |
| F, G, H, I, J, K | June |
| L, M, N, O, P, Q | July |
| R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z | August |
Postal voters for whom we do not hold an email address will receive a letter advising them to reapply for their postal vote in December 2025. If you receive this letter but do not respond by the deadline of 31 January 2026, your postal vote will be cancelled and you will need to either vote in person at a polling station or make a fresh application to vote by post.
How to vote by post
You can return your postal vote in any Royal Mail post box, where it will be posted back to us first class to be counted. You do not need to pay for a stamp. Simply follow the instructions provided in your postal voting pack to envelope your ballot papers and security statement.
Your postal vote must be received by 10pm on the day of the election for it to be counted. In addition to posting your postal vote back, you can also return it by hand up to 10pm on polling day.
On any weekday (excluding bank holidays), you can return your postal vote by hand to the Elections Office at the Town Hall. You can find the Elections Office public reception at:
Elections Office
Town Hall
Edward Street
Stockport
SK1 3XE
The office is accessed via Lacy Street and is signposted, but any other reception at the Civic Complex will be able to point you in the right direction. The office is open to the public from 9am to 5pm. On election day, it will be open until 10pm.
Your postal vote must be handed to a member of the Elections Team and you must sign a postal vote hand-in form at the desk. If you do not do this, your vote will not be counted.
Additionally, you can also hand in your postal vote to any polling station in your ward on election day. Polling stations open at 7am and will be open until 10pm. You can find your local polling station using the tool on our find your polling station webpage. You'll need to complete a form when handing in your postal vote for it to be counted.
If you're unable to sign your form
If you're unable to sign your form, or you're unable to sign it in a consistent way, special provisions can be made to remove the requirement to sign. This is called a signature waiver and means you'll only need to provide your date of birth when completing your postal voting statement. Note you must have a valid reason to need a waiver for the request to be granted.
For more information, or to make this request, contact our Elections Office and specify you'd like to apply for a signature waiver for your postal vote.
If you're not currently on the electoral register, you'll need to register to vote on GOV.UK before you can request a postal vote.