To ask if you knew you now need photo ID to vote at a polling station?

[DidyouknowyouneedID]

As of the local and Mayoral elections in May in England, you'll need to show photo ID at a polling station when you go to vote in person.

For Wales this also includes PCC elections and parliamentary seats.

If you don't have photo ID, you won't be given a ballot paper.

Here's a list of the accepted forms of photo ID that you need to take with you:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id

And if you don't have accepted photo ID you can apply online for a Voter Authority Certificate before 25 April and take that with you:

www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

The ridiculousness of this Tory government: voting this in one week only to shout down proposals for government-provided national IDs the next. It's almost as if this isn't about voter fraud after all (with those 4 confirmed cases in the last general election) and entirely about making it harder for the young and the poor to exercise their democratic right.

I did hear about this, and at first I was shocked that in GB you don't need photo ID to vote. We've had it in Northern Ireland for years. Admittedly, we did have an electoral fraud problem and I had forgotten that was a NI specific problem.

Thank you OP! I knew they were talking about it but didn't realise it was for this year. Now I need to get some ID so I can vote adds another job to never ending list

You need photo ID for employment, bank account, collecting a parcel - how do people manage without?!

Oh and if you have a form of acceptable photo ID and it's out of date/expired, that's fine as long as it still looks like you. The ID should be in the same name as the name you are registered to vote with.

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id

I think issues are more spread than prople think but I am not sure how ID would sort the larticular one I know about. I know number if people who voted in elections they were not eligible for because they got polling cards.
I am not sure how can even someone pinpoint electoral fraud when all you need is piece of paper and then say name from it at polling station. Actually you don't even need the paper with you.

I never have - I am employed, have more than one bank account and have collected parcels with no photo ID

I knew. It's a disgrace. The tories will get in again. I don't think it's been communicated well at all.
I'm lucky that I have ID but many won't.

The issues are not more widespread, other than perhaps in your imagination.

There is research which gives the accepted stats.

What people do you know of who voted when not eligible? Did you report them? I am at this claim of yours.

You do not need a passport to get a senior bus pass

Because the lists of photo ID that can do all of the above are not the same lists that you can vote with.

Student ID being the biggie but a Bus pass is all ok....

Its basically a way of reducing the folk who the Govt thinks would vote Labour.

If it were about fraud, they'd crack down on postal voting, where there are genuine concerns.

You can be as much as you want to. It won't change a fact that I know number if people who had poll cards delivered and so no one questioned anything at polling station in elections they were not supposed to vote in. As EEA we are not allowed to vote in GE (until gaining UK citizenship). I know people who got the polling card and went to vote. Similar for the referendum.
So go for eyebrow raising but raise it at the system.

You can take a picture with your phone

If people were using others voting rights, then there would be lots of reports of people turned away because their vote had been cast earlier... there isn't.

People being sent voting papers incorrectly, is an entirely different matter... ID or no, they can still vote.

Many people wouldn't have a clue how to apply on Gov.uk or upload a picture from a phone, have internet on the phone, know how to use it... or get the pic to the laptop or library pc - they just wont bother nor will they ask out of embarrassment.

People rushing home from work pop into the polling booth because its quick and easy, if they are driving past and don't the ID on them, they wont bother to vote...

Most countries that have this in place, have compulsory ID that has to be carried 24/7.
May well back fire on the Govt and if it does in May, watch the reasons for voter ID vanish!

It's a shameful clawing at votes on the part of the Tory party as they fall into the pit of oblivion for many years after the next election.

I didn’t know and I regularly work as a presiding officer- we’ve not been told anything and I don’t listen to commercial radio.

electoral fraud is such a non event. It rarely if ever happens. There have been a couple of instances in the past but they were picked up on at the time (it was discussed a few years back in training) so this is wholly unnecessary.

The polling station know if you can vote or not. Against your name and address is a code which tells the poll clerk which elections you can vote in.

You'll definitely receive training before the election if you're working as a PO this year. You'll need to be aware of what ID is acceptable and what to do if someone's name doesn't match between their ID and the name they're registered under etc

I saw it advertised on the back of the bus the other day that was the first I knew of it

You need to provide details from your valid, machine-readable passport or your valid UK driving licence (full or provisional). Which you don't need for the one on the right. 🙄

Yeah that's lovely but people still voted.

You don’t need to submit any ID to get the voter ID card though…

I don't have any photo ID, because I don't know anyone who counts as "professional" or "a person of good standing"( whatever they means) enough to sign the forms for me.

You'll need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate then if you want to vote at a polling station.

www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate