Signature refresh for absent voting

On your application for an absent vote you are required to provide a signature and date of birth (your 'personal identifiers'). When you vote by post at an election or referendum you also complete and return a statement giving your personal identifiers. We check the personal identifiers on your statement against those you gave on your application to check that they match. If they do not match, your vote cannot be counted. This is to prevent someone else from using your vote.

Your personal identifiers are always kept separate from your ballot paper, so no one knows how you have voted.

Signatures can change over time so if you have an absent vote that is more than five years old, we are required by law to ask you for a fresh signature.

If you now cannot sign, or cannot sign in the same way every time, but still want to vote by post, you can apply to keep your postal vote without giving your signature. For more information and to find out how to apply, please contact the Electoral Services office on 01424 451087.

If we don't receive a response after six weeks, your absent vote will be cancelled. You will still be able to vote in person at a polling station or you may submit a new absent vote application form. You can apply for a new postal vote up to 11 working days before an election.