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UK Parliament Election 2024

Ways to vote - by postal vote

Registration for postal voting is now closed.

Important notice for people who have NOT received their postal vote pack

Postal vote packs should arrive today (28 June) or tomorrow (29 June).

If you are leaving Edinburgh over the weekend and have yet not received your postal vote pack, you can get a new one from Friday 28 June to Sunday 30 June at the City Chambers on the Royal Mile. This will be available from 9am to 5pm. You must bring your photo ID. There will be polling booth available so that you can cast your vote in privacy. Priority is being given to people leaving Edinburgh this weekend who may not receive their ballot packs in the post. This facility is not a polling station - voters can complete their postal vote in private and then put it into the Royal Mail postbox outside the City Chambers

If you will be in Edinburgh next week please wait for delivery. Only contact us early next week if you are still without you pack. Contact elections@edinburgh.gov.uk or 0131 200 2315 for assistance.

You can get a replacement from 9am to 5pm, including weekends. Please note that postal voters cannot vote in person at the polling place. You may hand your postal vote in to a polling place but you will need to fill out an additional form. We encourage you to put your postal vote in the mail box as soon as possible.

We apologise for the delay and appreciate your patience.

 

Getting your postal vote

Depending on when you apply for it, your postal vote pack will be sent out between up to 12 working days before polling day. 

Postal votes are delivered by Royal Mail in the UK and local mail delivery services internationally. If post is likely to take longer than six working days to reach you and be returned to the UK, a proxy vote may be a better option.

Please make sure you can receive and return your postal ballot pack before the close of poll on 4 July.

Returning your postal vote

You must fill in and return your postal vote pack by 10pm on polling day (4 July) to be valid.

We encourage you to fill it in and post it in a Royal Mail postbox as soon as possible. Please don't wait until the last minute.

For this election, you cannot drop it into a Council office* - it can only be posted or handed into your polling station on polling day on 4 July. By law, you can only hand in your own postal vote, and those of up to five others. You will need to complete a short form when handing in postal votes.

*With exception of City Chambers on the High Street where postal votes can be accepted - and you fill in the form - during office hours only Monday to Thursday 8.30 am to 4.45pm and Friday 8.30am to 3.40pm.

Questions about your postal vote

When will I receive my postal voting pack?

Please be patient if you’re waiting for your postal vote to arrive. If you applied by 7 June it’s in the post and will be with you soon if you don’t already have it. If you applied for one between 8 – 19 June it will arrive by the weekend.

What happens if my postal voting pack does not arrive or I have misplaced it?

If you are a registered postal voter, you can apply for a replacement postal voting pack if it is lost, spoilt or not received.

I have put today's date instead of my date of birth on the postal vote statement

Please cross it out and put the correct date of birth in. We will manually verify against your existing information.

I’ve forgotten to put my ballot paper or postal vote in the envelope and sealed it, what should I do?

You can re-open the envelope, add the missing documents and reseal it.

I've lost envelope B (the one everything goes in to post) - can I use a different envelope?

Yes. Please send it to the Returning Officer, 249 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ

Alternatively hand it in to the City Chambers during working hours or to a polling station on 4 July (you will have to fill in a form).

I've posted the envelope without the ballot paper, what should I do?

Seal the ballot paper in a new envelope and post the paper in, or hand it into to a Presiding Officer at any polling station within your constituency (before 10pm), or to the City Chambers on the Royal Mile (during working hours). Please make sure your envelope is sealed and clearly says 'postal vote'.  We will match it up with your postal vote statement

What if I tear the envelopes?

As long as you seal the envelope correctly this should still be received.

I've marked the incorrect box on my ballot paper, can I correct it?

Yes, cross out the incorrect vote and clearly mark who you want to vote for. Do not use Tippex or any other correction fluid. Do not initial the changes otherwise your vote will not be counted.

I've put my postal vote in my partner's envelope, will it still count?

As long as we receive your postal vote statement and your partner’s statement and postal vote, we will attempt to match up the envelopes when we receive them.

I have incorrectly used blue pen instead of a black pen, will it still count?

As long as the information is clearly marked, return as normal.

I've spoiled my ballot paper/postal voting statement. What do I do?

If you are a registered postal voter, and you have read the above questions, you can apply for a replacement postal voting pack up to 5pm on the day of an election. You must collect it in person and bring ID. Please email elections@edinburgh.gov.uk to arrange to collect the replacement pack. We cannot replace lost or undelivered postal votes until 28 June.

If I have applied for a postal vote, can I still vote at a polling station?

If you have applied to vote by post you cannot vote in person at a polling station. However, you can hand in your sealed postal vote to a Presiding Officer at any polling station within Edinburgh (before 10pm) or to the City Chambers (during working hours). Please make sure your envelope is sealed and clearly says 'postal vote'.

I have torn my ballot paper. What do I do?

You can still complete the ballot paper and put all pieces in the envelopes and return as normal.