ON Thursday 4 May, 230 local authorities across England will be holding elections. Ahead of that, the Electoral Commission is urging voters to ensure they are registered before the 17 April deadline.
Registering to vote takes just five minutes and can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. A person can register to vote in the May elections if they are aged 18 or over on polling day, a British citizen resident in the UK, or an Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen resident in the UK.
Anyone previously on the register who has recently moved home or whose details have changed will need to register to vote again.
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission, said:
“Only those registered to vote can have their say at the May elections on issues important to their local areas. It only takes five minutes, and we encourage everyone to make sure they are correctly registered, particularly those that may have changed address since last year.”
Those intending to vote at polling stations in May will need to show photographic ID. A list of accepted forms of ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website. Those that do not have eligible ID can apply for free voter ID before the deadline of 5pm on 25 April. This requires the same information needed to register to vote – name, date of birth, address, National Insurance number – plus a photograph.
Craig added:
“This year voters should also remember that they will need to bring photo ID to the polling station to be able to vote. Anyone that does not have an accepted form of ID can apply for free voter ID by 25 April.”
