Postal Votes

Please be aware there are changes to voting by post for UK General Elections.

BSL video – Postal Votes for UK General Election.

In Scotland, these changes apply to UK Parliament general elections, by-elections and recall petitions (MPs) only.

It will not apply to Scottish Parliamentary or Local elections (MSPs and Councillors).

Please note:

• You can however register to vote for a postal vote for future elections. Apply for a postal vote for future elections.
• You need to reapply for a postal vote every three years.
• If you have a long-term postal vote that you applied for before 31 October 2023, this will now expire on 31 January 2026. Your local electoral registration office will contact you before your postal vote expires.

The easiest way to guarantee your postal vote is counted is to complete the pack as soon as possible, and using the pre-paid envelope put it in the post box. Do not post the packs to any other Council building.

These will then be delivered to us by Royal Mail.

It is important that you complete and return the pack as soon as possible.

If you’ve left it too late for posting, please do one of the following:

If it’s not polling day; you must hand the completed pack into a designated officer at East Dunbartonshire Council HQ, Southbank Marina, Kirkintilloch.

If it is polling day; you must hand the completed pack to a designated officer at a Polling Place or East Dunbartonshire Council HQ,Southbank Marina, Kirkintilloch.

Any postal votes not received in time via Royal Mail or have not been received by the appropriate person will not be included in the election.

There is a limit to the number of postal votes to be handed into East Dunbartonshire Council HQ or at the Polling places. The limit is six completed packs (your own and five others).

Any packs which exceed this number will not be included in the election process.

The new legislation states that for complete transparency you should not handle any postal votes, other than your own, if applicable.