45,000 Leeds Postal Voters Must Renew by January 31

January 19, 2026 Off By

Deadline Approaches for Postal Vote Reapplications in Leeds

Leeds City Council has issued a final reminder to approximately 45,000 postal voters who have yet to renew their postal voting details. The deadline to complete the reapplication process is January 31, 2026. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of their postal voting option, requiring them to vote in person at polling stations for upcoming elections.

Background to the Renewal Requirement

The requirement to renew postal voting details every three years was introduced under the UK government’s Elections Act 2022. This legislation includes a new identity verification process as part of the postal vote application. All postal voters in Leeds who applied before January 30, 2024, must renew their details by the end of January 2026 to maintain their postal voting status.

Scale of Postal Voting in Leeds

Leeds has the highest number of registered postal voters among comparable UK cities, with around 160,000 voters registered to vote by post. So far, the council’s elections team has processed approximately 115,000 renewal applications, leaving about 45,000 outstanding.

While some of those who have not yet renewed may be choosing to switch to in-person voting or may not intend to vote, those wishing to continue voting by post must complete the renewal process promptly.

How to Renew Postal Voting Details

The council advises that the quickest and easiest way to renew postal voting details is online. The application must include:

Applicant’s full name
Address
Date of birth
National Insurance number
A clear image of the applicant’s signature

The submitted information will be verified against records held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If the identity check fails, applicants will be required to provide additional evidence of identity.

For those unable to apply online, paper application forms have been sent by post and can also be downloaded from the GOV.UK website.