To be able to vote at a polling station you now need to show photographic identification before being issued a ballot paper. This will come into effect for the Thursday 4 May 2023 elections.
It doesn’t matter if the ID has expired as long as it still looks like you.
Electors must show one of the accepted photographic identification documents to polling station staff and be registered on the electoral register to be issued a ballot paper. These are:
- A United Kingdom passport
- A passport issued by an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
- A licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under (i) Part 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, or (ii) the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (SI 1981/154 (N.I. 1))
- A driving licence issued by any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state
- A biometric immigration document issued in accordance with regulations under section 5 of the UK Borders Act 2007
- An identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
- A Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
- A badge of a form prescribed under section 21 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 or section 14 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 (blue badge scheme)
- An electoral identity document issued under section 13BD (electoral identity document: Great Britain)
- An anonymous elector’s document issued under section 513BE (anonymous elector’s document: Great Britain) the holder of which has an anonymous entry at the time of the application for a ballot paper
- A national identity card issued by an EEA state
- Freedom Pass
- Any of the following concessionary travel passes funded by the UK Government:
- Older Person’s Bus Pass
- Disabled Person’s Bus Pass
- Oyster 60+ Card
No Voter ID? Apply for one free
If you do not have one of the accepted IDs, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate – often referred to as a Voter Cert or Voter Card. This is a government-issued certificate that can be used as ID in the polling station. This is an A4, paper-based certificate that contains your photograph and name. The Voter Cert has no expiry date and can be used at any polling station in the UK where you are registered to vote. You do not need to re-apply for a Voter Cert each year, unless you have lost or damaged it.
You can apply for a free Voter Cert online or contact Basingstoke And Deane council for a paper form. If you pop in they can even take your photograph for you.
You can apply for a Voter Cert at any point, even before an election has been called but the deadline to apply is 6 days before polling day.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the Thursday 4 May 2023 election is Tuesday 25 April 2023.
Voter Certs will be printed and despatched centrally by a government-appointed contractor. There will be a 5-day turn-around from successful application to delivery.
If you do not receive your Voter Cert, please contact electoral services at electoral.services@basingstoke.gov.uk or call 01256 845467.