60,000 Leeds postal voters still required to re-register by January

Postal voters in Leeds are being asked to urgently renew their details if they have not yet done so as the deadline nears.

Transcript

00:00Postal voters in Leeds are being urged to act quickly as a key deadline approaches.

00:06Anyone who applied for a postal vote before 30 January 2024 must renew their details by 31 January

00:152026 or their postal voting option will be cancelled. Leeds City Council has already

00:21contacted voters twice reminding them of the renewal requirements brought in by the Government's

00:27Elections Act 2022. The law now requires postal voters to renew every three years and to complete

00:35an identity check as part of the process. Despite the reminders around 60,000 postal voters in Leeds

00:42still haven't responded and with the deadline drawing near the council is urging people to act now.

00:48Leeds City Council Chief Executive and Electoral Registration Officer Ed Whiting says it is

00:54essential that anyone who hasn't renewed does so as soon as possible or they risk losing their

00:59preferred way to vote. He thanked the more than 90,000 voters who have already completed the renewal

01:05but stressed the urgency for everyone else to follow suit. The fastest way to renew is online through

01:11the gov.uk site. Applicants will need to provide their name, address, date of birth, national insurance

01:18number and a clear signature. Their identity will be checked against Department for Work and Pensions

01:23records and if the check fails further proof of identity will be required. For anyone unable to

01:29complete the process online paper application forms have been posted out and they're also available to

01:34download. After a year without local elections in Leeds the next scheduled local government elections will

01:41take place on the 7th of May 2026.