In the United Kingdom, postal voting was introduced as early as 1918 and is today available on request for all elections (see the “Representation of the People Act 2000”). Under the current general rules the voter must apply in advance for a postal vote. The elector and a witness must sign a “declaration of identity”, which must be included in the envelope containing the ballot paper. The elector then sends this to the returning officer. Electronic voting is only permitted in local government elections, at the request of a local authority, for the purpose of conducting trials.