Voting by post or proxy - absent voting
Anybody who is registered on the Electoral Register can apply to vote by post or appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.
You can apply for a postal or proxy vote to be set up on a permanent basis, for a temporary period of time (for example if you are away at university) or for 1 election.
We can send a postal ballot to your home address or another address if you provide a reason for a different address, for example you are on holiday.
We normally send postal or proxy postal (someone to vote on your behalf by post) ballot papers to the elector 2 weeks before the election date. If you are away at the time of the issue of the ballot papers it may be more relevant to either re-direct the ballot paper to another address (for example if you are on holiday) or to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. You need to complete fresh application forms to request either of these options.
Apply to vote by post
You can either:
Voting by post
Before an election all postal voters will receive a pink postal poll card. This provides the date we expect to send the postal ballot papers. We cannot issue them before this date due to the election timetable and legislation.
When you get your postal vote
- Follow the instructions that are included with the contents of the envelope.
- The instructions are usually on a separate sheet.
- The security statement will usually be attached to the ballot paper.
- You can vote for as many candidates as it details on the top of the ballot paper.
- On the ballot paper, place a 'X' next to the candidate/s you wish to vote for. This is a secret ballot and you should not show anyone your vote.
- Put the ballot paper into the small brown envelope marked ‘Ballot Paper Envelope 'A’ & seal it. Do not allow anyone else to see who you have voted for.
- Next you should complete the security statement. You should sign the security statement yourself and add your date of birth in all of the relevant boxes (if your date of birth is 17th May 1970 for example, you should enter 17-05-1970).
You do not need anyone to witness you signing the security statement.
- You should put the ballot paper envelope and the security statement into the large white envelope marked ‘B’
- Make sure the Returning Officer address is showing through the window of Envelope B.
- Seal the envelope and post it through a Royal Mail post box as soon as possible.
Taking your postal vote to the polling station
On Election Day you can hand deliver your postal vote to a Presiding Officer at any polling station in your Ward before the close of poll, if you don't want to send your vote by post or you have left it too late to post your postal ballot papers.
If you have a postal vote you cannot vote at the polling station. You cannot put your Postal Ballot Paper into the Ballot Box, you must hand the completed documentation to the Presiding Officer who has a separate envelope for Postal Votes.
Security
Postal voting is safe, secure and secret. You should complete your ballot papers yourself, not show them to anyone else and post your vote as early as possible to ensure it gets counted.
The ballot is secret. No-one can find out how you have voted. Anything which identifies you cannot be accessed, or referred to when your vote has been received.
There are numbers on the ballot paper and security statement to prevent fraud. Everyone has a unique identifying number. When postal votes are returned we check the number on the security statements against the number on the sealed envelopes that the ballot papers are in. We then remove the statements and store them away. We open the ballot paper envelopes and place the votes face down to count them. The counted votes are then also removed and stored away. At no time during this process do the statement and the ballot paper come into contact with each other. We seal all the documents immediately after the election and they can only be unsealed by a court order. The Corresponding Numbers Lists (CNL’s) are stored away before any postal votes have been returned. All the papers and documents are destroyed after a prescribed period.
Mistakes or lost papers
We may be able to send a replacement if you have made a mistake or lost your postal ballot papers.
Email: postalvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Call the Elections office on 0300 123 5016
The correct ballot papers
The ballot paper must only be completed by the person it is addressed to. It is an offence to complete someone else’s ballot paper.
You can only vote once in a single election, even if the ballot papers are for different wards/constituencies etc. It is an election offence to vote more than once in a particular election. If you receive 2 packs for example 1 at an old address and 1 at a new address you should send back, unopened, the postal vote for your old address to Electoral Services department, Cheshire East Borough Council, Macclesfield Town Hall, C/O Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2BJ
If you have recently changed your name and you have been sent a poll card or postal vote to your old name you can still vote using the ballot you have been sent. (For postal votes only) if you signed your application form in your old name, then you should sign your security statement with your old signature.
You should then re-register on the Electoral Roll in your new name, this can be completed online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or by requesting a paper application form by telephoning the Elections Office on 0300 123 5016, you will need to supply your National Insurance Number and date of birth to complete the registration. You can request a new postal vote application form as part of the registration process which will be sent to you in your new name, for completion and return.
Voting by proxy
A proxy vote is where you nominate someone to vote on your behalf.
Your nominated proxy can either be someone who lives locally to you and can go and vote in person on your behalf at your polling station or can be someone who lives in another part of the country who would have to vote on your behalf by post.
Anyone can apply to vote by proxy. You can set up the application permanently (the form needs to be attested), for a specific election or for a period of time. For more information or an application form email proxyvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk or to download a form go to voting by proxy.
You can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf by completing an application form and returning it by the deadline before an election (6 working days, provided that you do not already have a postal vote in place, in which case it is 11 working days). To fill in the proxy application form you will need:
- your date of birth
- your signature
- how long you wish the proxy to be effective for (attestation completed if permanent)
- the name and full address of the person who is going to vote on your behalf.
Return the completed form:
by email to - proxyvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk attaching a JPEG or PDF of the completed application form, as a clear image with a white background.
by post to - Electoral Services Department, Cheshire East Borough Council, Ground Floor, Macclesfield Town Hall, C/O Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, CW1 2BJ.
Voting by proxy postal
You can appoint a person to be your proxy postal voter, this is normally someone who does not live locally but is a trusted person. The application form must be completed and returned by the deadline before an Election (11 working days).
The application form comes in 2 separate sections
- There is a page for the elector’s details, to include your date of birth, signature, how long you wish the proxy postal to be effective for (attestation is required for a permanent application), the name and full address of the person who is going to vote on your behalf.
- The 2nd part of the form is for your proxy to complete. This requires their signature, date of birth, how long they are going to vote on your behalf and the address the ballot paper is to be sent to.
For an application form to vote by proxy postal please contact postalvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk, please ensure that the email requests a proxy postal application form.
Return the completed form
by email to - postalvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk attaching a JPEG or PDF of the completed application form, as a clear image with a white background.
by post to - Electoral Services Department, Cheshire East Borough Council, Ground Floor, Macclesfield Town Hall, C/O Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, CW1 2BJ.
Absent vote refresh
For every permanent absent vote application on file – Postal, Proxy or Proxy Postal, the Electoral Registration Officer for each local authority must ask for new details every 5 years.
The legislative process involves sending out a refresh form, with a reply paid envelope to every absent voter whose application is over 5 years old, to check and update the records that are currently held. The application asks that the person complete a new form, provide an up to date signature and check that the information held is accurate. Signatures can change over time and it is important that a new one be obtained on a regular basis.
If you make a mistake when completing the refresh form a replacement can be obtained by emailing postalvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk or proxyvoting@cheshireeast.gov.uk respectively. Help can also be obtained by phone on 0300 123 5016
If you do not wish to vote by post/proxy any longer there is a tick box on the refresh form to indicate this, please tick this box and return the form in the envelope provided.
If you have changed your name or address, please indicate this on the refresh form and return it in the envelope provided – we will send you out a new registration form for your new address or in your new name.
If you do not return the refresh form by the deadline indicated a reminder will be sent. If you do not return either form your Postal, Proxy or Proxy Postal vote record will be removed.
Page last reviewed: 24 January 2023
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