Paragraph 17 Requirement to provide fresh signatures following rejection of postal voting statementI1

England and Wales

(1)

The registration officer may require the absent voter to provide a fresh signature for the personal identifiers record where, in relation to a Senedd election—

(a)

an absent voter is notified under paragraph 5 that the signature on the absent voter’s postal voting statement does not match the example held on the personal identifiers record, and

(b)

the absent voter continues to be shown in the relevant record as voting by post.

(2)

In doing so the registration officer must issue a notice in writing to the absent voter—

(a)

requiring the absent voter to provide a fresh signature, and

(b)

informing the absent voter of the date, being six weeks from the date of sending the notice, on which the absent voter would cease to be entitled to vote by post in the event of a failure or refusal to provide a fresh signature.

(3)

The registration officer must, if the absent voter has not responded to the notice within three weeks from the date on which it was sent, as soon as practicable send a copy of the notice to the absent voter.

(4)

The notice and any copy must be sent by the registration officer to the absent voter’s current or last known address.

(5)

Where the notice or a copy of the notice is sent by post, the registration officer may use—

(a)

a prepaid universal service provider, or

(b)

a prepaid commercial delivery firm.

(6)

The notice or copy of a notice sent to an absent voter in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) or (3) must be accompanied by a pre-addressed reply envelope and, in the case of a notice or copy of a notice sent to an address in the United Kingdom, the return postage must be prepaid.

(7)

As soon as practicable after the date specified in the notice, the registration officer must determine whether the absent voter has failed or refused to provide a fresh signature.

(8)

Where the registration officer determines that the absent voter has failed or refused to provide a fresh signature, the registration officer must—

(a)

remove the absent voter’s entry from the relevant record, and

(b)

so far as applicable, remove the absent voter’s entry from the postal voters list or proxy postal voters list kept under article 8(1) to (3) or 10(8).

(9)

Where a registration officer removes an absent voter’s entry from a record or list under sub-paragraph (8)—

(a)

the registration officer must inform the absent voter, where appropriate, of the location of the polling station allotted or likely to be allotted to the absent voter under rule 34 of Schedule 5,

(b)

article 3 and paragraphs 12(4) and 13 apply as if the registration officer were refusing an application under this Schedule, and

(c)

in the case of an entry removed from the record kept under article 10(6), or the proxy postal voters list kept under article 10(8), the registration officer must also notify the elector who appointed the voter that the proxy’s entry has been removed.

(10)

The registration officer must include in the notice to be sent to the absent voter regarding the absent voter’s removal from the relevant record and, so far as applicable, the postal voters list or proxy postal voters list kept pursuant to article 8(1) to (3) or 10(8) information—

(a)

explaining the effect of such removal, and

(b)

reminding the absent voter that they may make a fresh application to vote by post, or in the case of an absent voter removed from the record kept under article 6(4) or the postal voters list kept under article 8(1) and (2), by proxy.

(11)

Where an absent voter has provided the registration officer with a fresh signature in response to a notice issued by the registration officer under this paragraph, or in response to a notice issued by the registration officer under any other enactment following the rejection of the absent voter’s postal voting statement at an election or referendum, the registration officer may use that signature and enter it in the records kept in accordance with paragraph 4 and articles 6(11), 7(7) and 10(13).

(12)

In this paragraph, the “relevant record” means the record kept under article 6(4) or 10(6).

Annotations

Commencement

I1: Sch. 1 para. 17 in force at 18.7.2025, see art. 1(2)