Local elections across Wessex are decided in the margins. A district ward on the edge of Salisbury, a coastal division in Dorset, a parish council seat in the Test Valley — they change hands on a few dozen votes, and every postal vote cast is one that doesn't depend on a Thursday evening dash to the village hall. If you would rather fill in your ballot at the kitchen table, the process is simple. It takes about ten minutes to arrange, and you don't have to explain yourself to anyone.

Who can apply for a postal vote

Anyone on the electoral register in England can ask to vote by post. You do not need a medical reason, an awkward shift pattern or a holiday booked. No explanation is required, and your council cannot ask for one.

The catch is the register itself. A postal vote is attached to your registration, so if you have moved recently — or you are simply not sure whether you are on the roll — ring your council's elections team before you do anything else. Registering and applying for a postal vote are two separate steps, and doing them in the wrong order wastes time you may not have.

You also need to be registered at the address where you want the ballot sent. Students who split their time between a term-time address and a family home should choose one deliberately. Applying for a postal vote at one address does not remove you from the register at the other.

What to have ready before you start

The application asks you to confirm your identity, so a little preparation saves a lot of backtracking. Have these to hand:

• Your National Insurance number
• Your date of birth
• Your full name and address exactly as they appear on the electoral register
• The address you want the ballot sent to, if that differs from your home
• A photo of your handwritten signature on plain white paper, taken in good light

If you apply on paper, you sign the form in ink. Either way, the signature on your application is the one your council will check against the signature on the ballot pack you return, so sign in the way you normally would.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check your registration. Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, BCP, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and the smaller unitary authorities all keep their own registers — your council's elections office is the place to ask.
2. Choose how to apply. There is a government online service, or you can use a paper form from your council's website, posted out on request.
3. Decide how long you want it to last. You can apply for a single election or for a set period of up to three years.
4. Complete the application with your National Insurance number, date of birth and signature.
5. Submit it before the deadline and keep the confirmation email, reference number or a copy of the form.

If you are helping a relative who is less comfortable online, the paper form works just as well — but the application still needs their details and their signature, not yours.

Deadlines: the dates that matter

Two dates do most of the work. The deadline to be on the electoral register is 12 working days before polling day. The deadline for a postal vote application is 5pm, 11 working days before polling day.

Working days, not calendar days. Weekends and bank holidays do not count, which means the deadline can creep up faster than it looks in the diary. Polling day itself then has its own rule: your completed postal vote must reach the council by 10pm. Late arrivals are not counted, however good the reason.

If you miss the postal deadline

You may still be able to appoint someone to vote on your behalf. Most proxy applications must be with the council by 5pm, six working days before polling day. After that, the only option left is voting in person — and that means bringing accepted photo ID to the polling station.

What arrives, and how to return it

Postal packs usually go out a week or two before polling day, though the exact timing varies between councils. Inside you will find a ballot paper, a postal voting statement that you must sign and add your date of birth to, and a return envelope.

You can send it back by post, hand it in at your council's offices, or take it to a polling station in your area on polling day. There are limits on how many postal votes any one person can hand in, so don't offer to drop off a stack for the neighbours. Post them individually or spread the errands around.

If your pack does not arrive, or you lose or spoil it, ring the elections team straight away. Replacement packs can usually be issued up to 5pm on polling day.

Keeping your postal vote valid

Postal vote arrangements no longer run indefinitely. Under rules brought in by the Elections Act, they expire after three years, and councils write to postal voters when it is time to reapply. If you move house, tell your council — an out-of-date address can mean the pack lands on your doormat after polling day rather than before it.

Councils also run occasional signature checks. If your signature has changed a great deal since you applied, get in touch rather than hoping for the best; a ballot rejected at the verification stage is a vote lost.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most rejected postal votes come down to one of a handful of slips. Worth checking before you commit:

• Applying before confirming you are actually on the register
• Assuming a postal vote follows you to a new address automatically
• Signing the postal voting statement in a hurry, in a style that does not match your application
• Posting the pack on the eve of polling day and trusting it will arrive in time
• Going away for a fortnight without checking whether your pack is due while you are gone

If you want a postal vote for the next round of local elections, the sensible moment to arrange it is now, long before the campaign leaflets start arriving. Ten minutes today means that on polling day all you need is a pen.

Photo: 2541163 / Pixabay