With the 31 January deadline fast approaching, approximately 22,000 Tower Hamlets residents are being urged to reapply for their postal votes to ensure they can participate in the upcoming 2026 borough ward elections and the executive mayor poll.

At the General Purposes Committee meeting on Thursday, 4 December 2025, Robert Curtis, head of Electoral Services, provided an update on election preparations, highlighting the critical need for postal voters to reapply. According to Curtis, of the 26,000 postal voters in Tower Hamlets, a significant 22,000 must reapply by the deadline to maintain their postal voting status.

Postal votes can only be kept now for three years. It's a very important point, Curtis stated. He noted that the council has already sent out several communications to remind voters, but with 14,000 still outstanding, there is a risk that many residents could lose their postal vote if they do not take action before the deadline.

To reach those residents who have not provided email addresses, the council will use other avenues such as the household notification letter, poll cards, and canvassing by candidates.

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Chair of the Health & Adults Scrutiny Sub-Committee, inquired about communication with residents regarding postal votes. Curtis responded that the council has a high email uptake, with 154,000 residents providing their email addresses, enabling quick communication via the Government Notify system.

Curtis also confirmed that residents can drop off postal votes directly at the town hall. To prevent voter fraud, individuals must fill out a form stating their identity, confirming they are dropping off the vote, and declaring they are not a political campaigner. This form is retained with the postal vote pack. Curtis emphasised the increased security measures: It's not a date. You can't put it in the post box. You can't give it to the post room. You can't just drop it off because that will invalidate it. You have to fill a form out now if you're going to drop them in. Yep. So a little bit more convoluted, far more secure than it has been in the past.

To facilitate this process, We will have a table in the Grand Foyer at the front of the town hall here with one of our staff who is a Bangladeshi speaker, and he will sit there on a stall from every office day until the close of poll at 10 o'clock on polling day, and he will receipt anybody that comes in with their own postal vote, he said.

Councillor Peter Golds, Chair of Licensing Committee / Licensing Regulatory Committee, reiterated the importance of adhering to the Elections Act 2022, which introduced stricter regulations on handling postal votes. He stressed that it is now a criminal offence for campaigners and political parties to handle postal votes, with limited exceptions for close relatives or those they care for. Curtis added, Again, all of the candidates and all of the political parties will be informed so that they are very aware of what the restrictions are in relation to the handling of postal votes.

Under the Elections Act 2022, campaigners and political parties who illegally handle postal votes face criminal charges.

The upcoming borough ward elections and the executive mayor poll are scheduled for 7 May 2026. The election will use the first past the post system for the mayoral election, meaning whoever wins the majority is elected, according to Curtis. Preparations are ahead of schedule compared to 2018 and 2022, with 75 of 76 polling places already booked. A digital polling register will be used for the first time in Tower Hamlets, requiring voters to scan their poll cards to record their voter ID.

Residents who need to reapply for their postal votes are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to ensure their participation in the upcoming elections. Further information and application forms can be found on the Tower Hamlets Council website.