Postal Ballot Documents
Create and design the postal ballot documents you need for your election. Make sure that you hit your deadlines and stay within the guidelines to ensure that your election is legally valid.
Your electorate will receive their election documents before the voting period opens, ensuring that they can cast their ballots in time knowing all the relevant details about the election.
Create a ballot paper: The first step for your postal election
Postal elections require long-term planning. You must recognize that there are certain aspects of postal voting that are beyond your control, the main one being a slow postal service. Incorporating a healthy buffer into your election planning is vital.
At the heart of your postal ballot documents is the ballot paper. In order for this ballot paper to be legally valid, it has to conform to certain rules and regulations. Postal ballots, for example, have to be identical to ballot papers used with other election procedures.
Time management is as important when creating your ballot paper as it is with any other task. You have to watch out that you have planned in enough time to create all the ballot papers you need, that they are compatible with other voting methods where applicable, and are sent off in a timely manner. Ballot papers should be ready much earlier than the chosen election dates. Again, make sure that you have incorporated enough time for the creation, proofing, printing and sending of voting documents.
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Checklist: Postal Ballot Election Material
When sending postal ballot documents via post, too much information is better than too little. You should include documents to help voters cast their ballots in a timely and correct manner as well as helping them to understand the election itself. While this requires some extra effort on your behalf, it is well worth it as small mistakes can incur significant costs as well as frustration down the line.
What should your election material contain?
- The ballot paper(s)
- An envelope in which the completed ballot paper can be sent in. Make sure that all envelopes are identical.
- A copy of the election notice
- Information about your postal ballot
- Relevant candidate information, such as a voting list
- The Poll Card: Proof of registration and eligibility to vote. There should also be an explanation of how to vote included.
- An envelope with stamp included. This envelope has to be large enough for the ballot paper in its separate envelope to fit. The postage should already be paid and the return address (to the counting station) should already be printed out to avoid any postage mistakes.
POLYAS Tip: If you want to reduce costs of postal voting but cannot switch to purely online voting for organisational reasons? Combine online voting and allow your voters to decide how they cast their ballots.
Contact us today for a non-binding quote.
Combine postal voting with online elections
Reduce the costs and effort involved with postal elections by allowing your voters to have a smooth transition into digital democracy. Online voting helps simplify elections, both for your electorate and for your election manager.
Contact our election experts for unparalleled service for combined postal and online elections.
POLYAS manages the complete process of combining postal and online elections on your behalf, providing error free and legally binding elections. This allows you to concentrate on more important matters without having to worry about counting errors, legal validation, and complicated election processes.