Major changes to how people vote in elections are set to come into force next month. From May this year people in England, Scotland and Wales who want to cast their vote in person must show a valid form of photographic ID.
Under the new rules, which come into effect on Thursday May 4, only original forms of ID will be allowed and photocopies will not be accepted. The new rules will also apply slightly differently in Wales, as some elections are devolved to the Welsh Government.
Here is everything you need to know about the new voting rules and how they will apply in Wales. To subscribe to the stories that matter most to people in Wales, subscribe to our Wales Matters newsletter here.
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What elections do the new rules apply to?
The new rules will apply to the following elections from Thursday, May 4:
- Local elections (in England)
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections (in England and Wales)
- UK parliamentary by-elections (in England, Scotland and Wales)
- Recall petitions (in England, Scotland and Wales)
From October 2023 this will also apply to UK general elections, including for voters in Wales.
What types of photo ID are accepted?
These are the forms of photo ID that will be accepted at polling stations:
- 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 licence
- issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state, includes provisional driving licences
- Blue Badge
- Older Person’s Bus Pass
- Disabled Person’s Bus Pass
- Oyster 60+ Card
- Freedom Pass
- Scottish National Entitlement Card
- 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- PASS card
- identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram
- Biometric immigration document
- Ministry of Defence Form 90
- Defence Identity Card
- National identity card
- Senior SmartPass
- Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s
- War Disablement SmartPass
- 60+ SmartPass
- Half Fare SmartPass
- Electoral Identity Card
If you do not have any of the accepted forms of ID and still want to vote in person, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. You can find out more about how to do that here.
Can you still vote by post or by proxy?
If you aren’t able to get to a polling station, you can still apply to vote by post or by proxy. Photo ID will not be required if you vote by post, but the person casting your proxy vote will have to show their own ID at the polling station.
How does this apply to Wales?
The introduction of voter ID does not apply to devolved elections in Wales. The Welsh Government has confirmed that voters in Wales will not need to show photo ID to vote at a polling station at Senedd elections or local council elections.
This will only apply to:
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections
- UK parliamentary by-elections
- Recall petitions
- General Elections (from October 2023)
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