Don't forget your photo ID
You will need to take photo ID with you when you vote at the General Election on Thursday, 4 July 2024. Find out what types of ID are accepted on the Electoral Commission website (external link).
Postal votes
Further information about postal votes and the General Election.
We know postal voters are keen to know when their UK Parliamentary General Election ballot pack will arrive.
This will depend on:
- when your application was processed
- how long post takes to be delivered to you – particularly if you are an overseas voter.
Existing postal voters plus new applications processed by 10am on Monday, 10 June 2024
Your postal vote pack will be sent out on 18 June 2024 if you are an overseas elector or 19 June 2024 if you live in the UK.
Applications processed by 19 June 2024
Your postal vote pack will be sent out on 26 June 2024.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren’t postal votes sent out as soon as an application comes in?
Candidate nominations closed at 16:00 on Friday 7 June, so ballot papers could only be finalised and sent to print after that.
Due to the short notice for the 4 July UK Parliamentary General Election, specialist election printers and Royal Mail are working at capacity to print and deliver over 8 million postal votes across the UK.
It’s a complicated process, with personalised postal vote statements matched with the correct ballot paper. There is also a need to produce personalised envelopes and instruction sheets. We also need to carry out crucial security checks which add to the time needed to prepare and send votes out.
Postal votes for overseas electors have early priority because of the extra time it takes for international mail to be delivered and returned.
What if I don't think I have time to post my vote back by 4 July?
If you applied for a postal vote and don’t think you’ll be able to return it by post by Thursday 4 July, you can drop your completed postal vote pack in to the council offices at any point before the deadline, or at your polling station before 10pm on polling day itself. You must complete a form when you hand it in.
If you haven't applied for a postal vote and are away on 4 July, you can instead appoint someone you trust as a proxy to vote on your behalf.
- You will need to make a proxy application by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June
- the person you appoint as a proxy must:
- be a registered parliamentary elector who can vote in this election.
- only be a proxy for up to two electors living in the UK, plus up to two people living abroad, or up to four people living abroad.