To apply to vote by post, you must first be registered to vote. You will need to register to vote 12 working days before polling day.
You can apply to vote by post for:
- a single election on a specific date,
- a specific period, or
- permanently.
You will be a sent a postal vote ballot pack before the election.
Apply to vote by post for all elections
You can apply to vote by post in all elections using one form.
Download the postal vote application form for all election types (PDF, 202 KB).
Once you have completed the form, please send it to us via email or post.
If you need to download and print this form but cannot, please contact us to request a paper version.
If your application is successful, you will need to:
Update your signature for the Senedd, Cardiff Council and Community Council elections every 5 years.
Renew your postal vote application for UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections every 3 years.
Find out more about renewing your postal vote or updating your signature.
Apply to vote by post for Senedd, Cardiff Council and Community Council elections only
You can apply this way if you only want to vote by post in these types of elections.
Download the postal vote application form for Senedd, Cardiff Council and Community Council elections only (46kb DOC), from the GOV.UK website.
The application form has instructions on how to fill it in correctly.
You will be asked to provide:
- the address where you are registered to vote,
- your date of birth, and
- your handwritten signature.
If you cannot sign the form or cannot sign in a consistent way, please contact us.
Once you have completed the form, please send it to us via email or post.
If you need to download and print this form but cannot, please contact us to request a paper version.
Apply to vote by post for UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections only
You can apply this way if you only want to vote by post in these types of elections.
Apply online to vote by post for UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections only on the GOV.UK website.
You can alsodownload the postal vote application form for UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections only (46kb DOC), from the GOV.UK website.
The application form has instructions on how to fill it in correctly.
You will be asked to provide:
- the address where you are registered to vote,
- your date of birth,
- your National Insurance number or other identity documents, for example a passport copy, and
- your handwritten signature (or a photo of this in black ink on plain white paper, if you are not printing and completing the form by hand).
If you cannot sign the form or cannot sign in a consistent way, please contact us.
Once you have completed the form, please send it to us via email or post.
If you need to download and print this form but cannot, please contact us to request a paper version.
Email: [email protected]
Post:
Electoral Services
Room 263, County Hall
Atlantic Wharf
Cardiff
CF10 4UW
Find out more about postal voting on the GOV.UK website.
Completing and returning your postal vote
When voting by post, you should:
- mark your vote on your ballot paper in secret
- fill in the postal voting statement
- put the ballot and statement in the envelope provided
- seal the envelope yourself
Post your ballot back as quickly as possible to make sure it is counted.
If you are too late to post your ballot paper, you can take it to any polling station in your constituency by 10pm on election day, or to the Electoral Services office at County Hall.
Handing in postal votes at a polling station
Information about handing in postal votes in person.
Senedd, Cardiff Council and Community Council elections: handing in postal votes
For Senedd, Cardiff Council and Community Council elections, there is no limit to how many postal votes you can hand in at a polling station.
UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections: handing in postal votes
For UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, you can hand in up to 6 postal votes at a polling station. This includes your own vote.
If you hand in more than 6 postal votes for these types of elections, your vote will still be counted, but all the other votes will be rejected.
You do not need to show ID to hand in postal votes.
If you are handing in postal votes, you will need to complete a Return of Postal Voting Documents form at the polling station or council office.
When completing the form, you will need to include:
- your name,
- your address, and
- the reason you are handing in other people's postal votes.
Your postal votes will be rejected if you do not complete the form properly, or to the authorising officer's satisfaction. This also applies to any votes that are given to the Returning Officer at County Hall.
Your vote will not be counted if you hand it into any other address, for example, one of our Hubs.
The secrecy requirements at a polling station apply to any postal or proxy votes.
It is an offence to:
- find out how somebody else has voted, or
- to tell others how somebody has voted.
Political campaigners
If you are a political campaigner, you are also banned from handling postal votes, unless:
- the vote is your own,
- the vote is from one of your close family members, or
- or the vote is from someone you care for.
What to do if your ballot paper if lost or stolen
Your ballot paper needs to clearly display your voting choice. If it has been damaged or if you lose it, you will need to get another one.
You can either:
- contact us to ask for a replacement.
- collect a replacement from us at County Hall up to 5pm on election day.
You cannot vote at a polling station if you registered to vote by post or if your ballot paper was lost or damaged.
Contact us
If you have any questions or need any help, please contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 029 2087 2087
Electoral Services
Room 263, County Hall
Atlantic Wharf
Cardiff
CF10 4UW
