21,000 postal voters to be contacted by Westmorland and Furness Council

People registered to vote by post in Westmorland and Furness are being advised to submit new postal vote applications in letters sent by the council’s electoral services team following changes to the applications process.

In order to reduce fraudulent submissions, all postal vote applicants must now provide personal identifiers, including their name, date of birth and National Insurance number, as well as an up-to-date sample of their signature.

People who have not yet applied for a postal vote under the new process must do so before 31 January 2026, or their existing postal vote registration will expire and they will need to vote in-person at their polling station, until they submit a new application to vote by post.

For Westmorland and Furness, this means that over 21,000 postal voters must now re-apply. The council is beginning the process of writing to them now to ensure that there’s enough time for voters to submit their applications and for the council to process them, before the January deadline.

Westmorland and Furness Council’s Chief Legal and Monitoring Officer, Linda Jones, said: "At an election, we compare the signature and date of birth on your application to vote by post against the signature and date of birth on your postal voting statement.

"This helps us ensure that it was you who completed your postal vote and no one else. Your signature can change over time, so it is important to re-apply to provide us with a fresh copy of your signature."

If you can’t sign, or can’t sign in the same way every time due to a disability, but still want to continue to vote by post, you are advised contact the electoral services team at Westmorland and Furness Council about applying for a signature waiver.