Postal votes now valid for a maximum term of three years – 19,000 people in St Albans District told they will need to renew soon
Around 19,000 people in St Albans District are being advised they will need to renew their postal vote soon because of a change to the law.
Voters can now only hold a postal vote for a maximum period of three years whereas previously they could be held indefinitely.
The change came into effect on 31 October 2023 with all postal voters who applied before that date being told they will need to re-apply before 31 January next year.
This affects around 19,000 postal voters in St Albans District who are required to reapply if they want their postal vote to remain in place for future elections. That includes local elections in May 2026.
St Albans City and District Council will be contacting all postal voters affected by this change in the coming weeks, explaining how to reapply.
An email will be sent to postal voters that the Council holds an email address for. It will be sent from electoralregistration@stalbans.gov.uk.
All other postal voters - and those who don’t respond to the email - will receive a letter which will contain information on what to do next.
Amanda Foley, Electoral Registration Officer for St Albans District, said:
This is a significant change to the law affecting postal votes.
Thousands of people in the District vote in this way and we want to make them aware of what they need to do in the future to secure their postal vote. Postal voters need to look out for information we may send them by email or letter.
The quickest and easiest way to reapply for a postal vote is online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.
As part of the postal vote application, electors will be required to provide their:
Date of birth
National Insurance Number
Upload a photo or scanned copy of your handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.
Electors who are unable to complete an online application can download a form at
www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote
Paper forms can also be requested by emailing electoralregistration@stalbans.gov.uk or calling Electoral Services on 01727 819294.
Those postal voters who are affected and do not reapply will have their postal vote cancelled on 31 January 2026.
Electors who have their postal vote cancelled will be able to reapply again after 31 January 2026 and up to eleven working days before an election if they chose to do so.
If they do not, they will have to vote in a polling station and show an accepted form of photographic ID if they wish to vote in future elections.
Further information is available at www.stalbans.gov.uk/postal-vote-reapplication.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727-819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.