As well as starting the annual canvass of the electoral register, the Elections Team are also starting the postal vote renewal process for 2025/26. Following a change in the law, the maximum length of time a voter can hold a postal vote changed from indefinitely to a maximum period of three years. Postal voters can still register to vote by post for a particular poll or for a shorter time, but they can no longer hold a postal vote for longer than three years. Electors who applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024 will have to apply again if they want their postal vote to remain in place for elections on Thursday 7 May 2026 and future elections for another three years. For Wealden District Council, a total of 17,891 postal voters will need to apply for their postal vote again . Those who do not apply will have their postal vote deleted on 31 January 2026. To try and reduce the number of letters and forms that will need to be sent to postal voters in December, an email campaign will start towards the end of August and will run concurrently with the annual canvass. The emails will be sent in batches on a weekly basis and will be headed ‘Important – Action Required for Postal Vote Renewal’ . The emails will be sent using the GovNotify system – a sample of the email is shown below. The email encourages electors to use the online service to apply for their postal votes to reduce the number of forms that must be uploaded to the government portal. Messaging will be included on canvass forms for properties that contain electors that need to renew their postal vote. If you have any questions about the postal vote renewal process, or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact: Heather Blanshard | Electoral Services Manager Electoral Services for Wealden District Council Phone: 01892 602416 Mob: 07985 811907 Email: [email protected] Council Offices | Vicarage Lane | Hailsham | East Sussex | BN27 2AX