Council reminds residents to renew their postal votes ahead of elections
Welwyn Hatfield Council is advising residents who vote by post to check if they need to renew their registration for postal voting to ensure they are able to take part in the local elections in May.
Changes brought in by the Elections Act 2022 mean postal vote registrations now expire every three years and must be renewed. Last autumn, the council wrote to electors whose postal votes were due to expire by 31 January 2026 advising that they needed to renew their vote or it would be cancelled.
The council is encouraging people whose votes have lapsed to reapply as soon as possible and by the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday 21 April if they still require a postal vote for the elections taking place in Welwyn Hatfield on Thursday 7 May.
Those who did not renew their postal vote registration can still reapply by visiting the government website www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote, where they will need to provide their National Insurance number and upload a photo of a handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper.
Alternatively, they can request a paper form by contacting the council’s elections team on 01707 357 300 or by emailing elections@welhat.gov.uk.
For more information on renewing your postal vote, visit: https://www.welhat.gov.uk/voting-elections/voting