Applying for a postal vote to be sent to a different address
As part of an application for a postal vote, a person may ask for their postal ballot papers to be sent to a different address from their qualifying address. Existing postal voters may also request a redirection.
Any request to have postal ballot papers redirected must (unless they are an anonymously registered elector) set out why they require their ballot paper to be sent to that address.1
There are many circumstances that may lead a person to request a postal vote redirection: they may be on holiday, be in hospital, have work commitments elsewhere, etc. If a person has indicated that they wish their postal vote to be redirected but has failed to include any reasons, you should write to the elector and ask them to provide an explanation.
They cannot simply say because I prefer it that way. This does not set out their circumstances and, therefore, is not a valid reason. In this case, you should put the application on hold and request further information from the elector. If they do not respond setting out their circumstances, you can reject the application on the grounds that it does not meet the prescribed requirements.
Where an explanation of the circumstances has been provided, you cannot reject a postal vote application or redirection request on the grounds that you are not satisfied with the explanation given. If the reason causes suspicion, or you have concerns because of other circumstances linking the redirection request to others in the area, or to a particular address, this should be reported to your police Single Point of Contact (SPOC).
Levels of postal vote redirections should be monitored. It is important to be vigilant for emerging patterns of redirections. In particular, you should agree with your police SPOC a threshold number of applications being directed to any one address and consider notifying them if this threshold is reached.
Where you grant a postal vote application for an elector and it includes a redirection request, you must confirm the re-direction to the elector in writing at their registered address and confirm the date that the postal vote arrangement will expire or if it is for a particular election only.2
You can include this in the notification you send confirming whether their postal vote application has been successful.
Where you grant a redirection request for an existing postal voter the notification you send confirming the redirection must be sent in writing to the address where the elector is registered to vote.3