Date: 09/01/2007
High Peak Borough Council is advising all registered postal voters of changes in the law that came into force at the New Year.
From January 1, 2007, all electors who wish to vote by post will be asked to give their date of birth and a specimen of their signature - aimed at preventing fraud.
This means that when a person sends in a postal vote, this will be checked against the information and signature they are now being asked to provide.
If there are discrepancies between the two signatures or the two dates of birth, the postal vote will be rejected.
The Council is in the process of contacting all registered postal voters for this information, in preparation for this year"s local elections,
Failure to provide the Council with a signature and date of birth will result in the cancellation of existing postal voting arrangements.
However, local voters will be able to make a new application in the future.
Councillor David Lomax, Leader of High Peak Borough Council, said: "This change in law will improve the security around postal voting, and hopefully will encourage more people to use this and vote at the next Borough elections.
"If you are already a registered postal voter and have received this request for information, then please return it as soon as possible. Please be assured that this information will be stored securely.
"For anyone who has only recently completed an application form for a postal vote, unfortunately we were not able to collect this additional information from you until after January 1, 2007. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."
For voters who cannot provide a signature, because of a disability, or because they cannot read or write, they are advised to contact the Elections Office on 0845 129 7777, as an exemption may be available.