Election Glossary


Postal Voting

Postal voting is a type of absentee voting which is done via post. It is typically used to complement traditional voting in polling places by allowing those who can't physically attend on election day to nonetheless participate in the election. In order to participate through postal voting, people need to be sent ballots to be filled out which then need to be posted back for counting. Completed ballot papers are put into their own individual envelopes before being placed inside another postage-paid envelope alongside voters' personal information. This is then sent back to the authority responsible for overseeing the election. Postage takes time, so postal voting is completed in advance of the actual election day.

Postal voting is comparably expensive and also susceptible to election fraud, yet it has a growing popularity among voters. Online elections are, however, the safest, quickest and easiest form of absentee voting.

POLYAS makes it possible to combine postal voting with online voting in your next election! 

More on combined voting procedures.

See also: Ballot Box Election, Ballot Paper, Advance Voting, Absentee Voting

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