When are the May local elections and do you need to bring ID?
Local elections are set to take place next month in towns and cities across the UK.
More than 8,000 council seats are up for grabs from small rural councils and some of the largest towns and cities.
Mayors will face the polls in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield, and Middlesborough as part of the elections.
However, no polls are scheduled in Birmingham, Cornwall, Cumbria, London, or North Yorkshire.
Want to know when you can vote and if you need to bring ID? Here’s what we know.
When are the May local elections?
Local elections will take place across 230 local authorities on May 4.
You can check if your local council will be holding a vote on the Electoral Commission website.
Those that wish to cast their vote will need to make sure they have registered ahead of time.
The deadline to register to vote is April 17.
Do you need to bring ID?
Those that want to vote in the local elections in their area will need to bring photo ID.
The changes came into play last April meaning a compulsory photo ID is needed to cast your vote.
It is in place to ‘protect the integrity of democracy in the UK’ and ‘ensure the electoral system remains secure, transparent and fair for generations to come’, the Government said when the proposals became law last April.
However, the move was slammed by many including London mayor Sadiq Khan who branded it a ‘stealthy and insidious voter suppression’ plan that copies the strategy of former US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
What forms of ID are eligible?
Not all types of ID will be accepted and anyone without the correct one needs to apply for a special certificate by April 25.
Acceptable forms of photo ID, as listed by the Electoral Commission, include:
Eligible forms of photo ID for voting
International travel
- Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
Driving and Parking
- Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
- A Blue Badge
Local travel
- Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
- Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
- Oyster 60+ Card funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
- Freedom Pass
- Scottish National Entitlement Card
- 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Proof of age
- Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
Other government-issued documents
- Biometric immigration document
- Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
- National identity card issued by an EEA state
- Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland
- Voter Authority Certificate
- Anonymous Elector’s Document
If you don’t have accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.
You can apply for this online or by post, but it needs to be done by 5pm on Tuesday, April 25.
With your application, you need to submit a photograph of yourself as well as your name, address, date of birth, and National Insurance number.
The requirements you need to meet for your photograph can be found on the Electoral Commission website.
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