Voters urged to make sure they are ready to vote on 4 May
With only two months to go until the local council elections on 4 May, anyone wanting to vote is urged to make sure they are election ready.
The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 17 April. Voters can apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. It takes just five minutes.
Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 18 April. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 25 April.
This May, for the first time, voters will need to show photo ID to vote at a polling station. This is a new requirement, introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act. To find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website.
No suitable photo ID?
If you don't already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you're not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. See the Gov.uk website at: www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
If you need any help with applying for a Voter Authority Certificate or want to request a paper application form, email canvass@herefordshire.gov.uk
Voters who do not produce a Voter Authority Certificate, or a form of acceptable photo ID will not be allowed to vote on the day.
Further information can be found on the Herefordshire Council website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/elections-1/forthcoming-elections-referendums/8
Additional Information
Voters must bring an acceptable form of photo ID to their polling station. Some of the most commonly used ID include:
- Passport – must be issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
- Photo driver's licence (including provisional) – must be issued by the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state
- European Economic Area (EEA) photographic ID Card
- UK Biometric Residence Permit
- An identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS card)
- Defence identity card (Ministry of Defence Form 90)
- Blue Badge
- Oyster 60+ Card
- A concessionary travel pass funded by HM Government or local authority. For example, Herefordshire Council Bus Pass, Disabled Person's Bus Pass
If you have a form of acceptable photo ID but it is out of date, you can still use it to vote at a polling station if it still looks like you. You will only need to show ONE form of photo ID, but it has to look like you and be the original version and not a photocopy.
See the full list of acceptable ID on the Electoral Commission website