Postal votes

Registered Electors can choose to vote at any election by post. You can request a postal vote for a specific election, for a set time period, or a maximum period of up to three years.

You can vote by post

Anyone who is on the published Register of Electors or who has applied to be added as part of the monthly update process can apply for a postal vote.

How to apply for a postal vote

You will need to provide your National Insurance number as part of an identity check, and online applications will require an uploaded image of your usual signature.

You can apply online using the link below.

If you are unable to apply online then you can:

  1. download the postal vote application form (PDF, 270KB)
  2. complete the form
  3. return it to the Electoral Services Department at electoral.services@iow.gov.uk or post to Electoral Services, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD.

If you need large print, please download our large print version of the postal vote application form (PDF, 4 pages).  

Returning your completed postal ballot papers.

When you have filled in your postal ballot papers we must receive them by 10:00pm on Polling Day.

Royal Mail Priority Post Box

You may wish to consider returning your ballot papers via a Royal Mail Priority Post Box.

Royal Mail has 35,000 Priority Post Boxes. These post boxes have late collection times with 98% of them having a collection time of after 4 pm. In many cases these Priority Post Boxes will also have an earlier collection as well.

Of the 35,000 Priority Post Boxes 15,000 of them also have a collection between 3pm and 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

These Priority Post Boxes were introduced to help with the collection and onward delivery of Covid test kits, but as Elections are also a priority mailing, Royal mail is offering voters the use of this enhanced collection service. You can find a Priority Post Box on the Royal Mail website.