Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to EROs on accepting scanned copies of postal vote application forms.

For elections taking place in England, or at a UK Parliamentary general election, the Electoral Commission’s guidance for Electoral Registration Officers sets out the number of ways voters can apply for a postal vote. Postal vote application forms are not prescribed, and a paper postal vote application can be in any format, including an email with a scanned attachment.

Postal vote applications must contain all the required information, and the applicant’s signature and date of birth must be presented in the prescribed format, for the voter’s identity to be verified and application confirmed.

The Commission publishes similar guidance for elections in Scotland and in Wales.