Important information about postal votes

We know some postal voters are concerned they have not yet received their UK Parliamentary general election ballot pack.

Postal votes for the Reading Central Constituency were despatched on the following dates:

13 June if you are an overseas elector, or 19 June if you live in the UK and were already a postal voter before 22 May, or are a new applicant with an application processed by 5 June.

25 June if you are an overseas elector, or 26 June if you live in the UK and are a new postal vote applicant with an application processed by Wednesday 19 June.

How to apply for a replacement postal vote pack

If you haven’t received your postal vote pack, you can apply for a replacement up until 5pm on polling day, 4 July. To do this please call us on 0118 937 3717 or email elections@reading.gov.uk.

Before we can give you a replacement postal vote pack, we will ask for proof of identity. Find the accepted forms of ID at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-returning-officers-administering-local-government-elections-england/absent-voting/issuing-and-distributing-postal-votes/re-issuing-postal-ballot-packs/proof-identity-recommendations-reissuing-postal-votes  

For replacement requests made before 5pm on Wednesday 3 July, these can be collected from Reading Borough Council, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU.  However, please call or email first.

By law, any replacement requests made between 5pm on Wednesday 3 July and 5pm on Thursday 4 July must be made in person with accepted proof of identity. We will then issue your postal vote pack to you in person and you can return it straight away.

Returning your postal vote pack by hand

If you receive your postal vote pack and would like to return it by hand rather than by post, you can return it to the address printed on your pack during office hours until 4 July:

For Reading Central Constituency return packs to Reading Borough Council, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU

You can also return it to a polling station in the same constituency.

When you return a postal vote pack by hand, you must fill in a form for the pack to be accepted.

An individual can return their own postal vote and up to five additional postal votes at this election from family, friends or neighbours.

Candidates and campaigners are not allowed to collect or return postal votes on electors’ behalf.

Why aren’t postal votes sent out as soon as an application comes in?

Candidate nominations closed at 4pm on Friday 7 June, so ballot papers could only be finalised and sent to print after that.

Due to the short notice for the 4 July UK Parliamentary General Election, specialist election printers and Royal Mail have been working at capacity to print and deliver an anticipated 10 million postal votes across the UK.

It’s a complicated process, with personalised postal vote statements matched with the correct ballot paper. There is also a need to produce personalised envelopes and instruction sheets. We also need to carry out crucial security checks which add to the time needed to prepare and send votes out.

Postal votes for overseas electors have early priority because of the extra time it takes for international mail to be delivered and returned.