Deadline day to apply for emergency photo ID for May 2 elections

Anyone without the correct form of photo ID to take part in next week’s local, mayoral and police commissioner elections has only a few hours left to apply for a special certificate.

Every voter in England and Wales will be able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election on May 2.

But only certain kinds of photo identification will be accepted at polling stations.

Voters without the correct ID will be turned away.

A passport, driving licence photocard or blue badge are all valid, as is an older person’s bus pass.

People who do not have any of the right forms of ID need to apply for a voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday.

This can be done online at gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

Nearly 2,700 council seats in England are up for grabs across 107 local authorities on May 2, while 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales will be chosen.

Polls are also taking place to elect some of the most high-profile mayors in the country, including Greater Manchester, London and the West Midlands.

Craig Westwood, director of communication, policy and research at the Electoral Commission, which oversees all elections in the UK, said: “The deadline to apply for free voter ID is today at 5pm.

“Anyone who needs it should get their application in as soon as they can.

“The free ID helps ensure that everyone is able to take part in the May elections, even if they don’t currently have an accepted form of photo ID.

“It doesn’t take long to apply and there is information and support available from the Electoral Commission and your local authority.”

Photo ID rules were brought in as part of the Elections Act 2022, with the Government saying they are necessary to combat the risk of in-person voter fraud.

The requirements were first enforced at last year’s local elections in England.

An investigation by the Electoral Commission suggested at least around 14,000 people – 0.25% of voters – did not vote in those elections after being unable to show an accepted form of photo ID at their polling station.

A similar study will be carried out this year, the Commission has confirmed.

Mr Westwood told the PA news agency: “While local authorities are not legally required to collect data on voter ID at polling stations this year, we are encouraging them to continue doing so as it is important to understanding the impact of the policy.

“We will be gathering this information from authorities across England and Wales, and publishing an analysis of the implementation during the summer.”

An average of 1,003 applications for a voter authority certificate (VAC) were made per day in the week to April 22, compared with 861 the previous week and 865 a fortnight earlier.

Just 8% of VAC applications in the most recent week came from people under 25, while 3% came from those aged 75 and over, according to PA analysis of Government figures.

Applications from 55 to 64-year-olds accounted for 27% of the total, followed by 45 to 54-year-olds (21%), 35 to 44-year-olds (19%), 25 to 34-year-olds (13%) and 65 to 74-year-olds (8%).

Some 40,718 applications for a VAC have been made so far this year, including 1,282 on Monday.