Don’t get caught out like Boris Johnson did in May’s local elections. For the first time in a UK general election people will need to produce photo ID at polling stations on Thursday to be able to vote in person. Here is what you need to know.
What photo ID do you need to vote?
There are 20 acceptable forms of valid ID for you to be able to cast your vote, of which the principal ones are a passport or driving licence.
Passports can be issued by the UK or any EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Passports from any of the 56 Commonwealth countries are also accepted.
A driving licence is acceptable if it is a UK or Northern Ireland photocard or issued by an EU country. Licences from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands are also accepted.
A Northern Ireland electoral identity card is also valid, as are national identity cards issued by EU countries, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
Also accepted are a Pass card, a blue badge, a biometric residence permit, a defence identity card (MoD form 90), a voter authority certificate and an anonymous elector’s document.
Photo ID from university or college enrolment is not considered valid. But several types of concessionary travel documents are accepted.
Which types of concessionary travel documents are valid?
A range of travel documents issued to older people and disabled people are valid. They are:
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Older person’s bus pass.
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Disabled person’s bus pass.
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Oyster 60+ card.
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Freedom pass.
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Scottish national entitlement card.
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60 and over Welsh concessionary travel card.
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Disabled person’s Welsh concessionary travel card.
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Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass.
What if I don’t have any of these documents?
You can apply for a photo ID specifically for elections in England, Scotland and Wales, called a voter authority certificate. Unfortunately the deadline for this election has passed. It is free to apply, which can be done here. Northern Ireland has its own electoral identity card system that you can find information on here.
What if my valid form of ID has expired?
The government says you can still use your ID even if it has expired, provided that the photo still looks like you.
What ID do I need if I am using a proxy vote?
If you are going to vote on somebody’s behalf with a proxy vote, you need to take your ID with you, not ID for the person for whom you are casting a vote.
Why has photo ID for voters been introduced?
It appears to be trying to solve a problem that did not really exist. Data from the Electoral Commission said in elections in 2022, before the new rules were introduced, there were seven allegations of personation at polling stations, as the offence is officially known.
The former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared to suggest last year that introducing it had been motivated by a desire from the government to suppress the non-Conservative vote. He said: “Parties that try and gerrymander end up finding their clever scheme comes back to bite them, as, dare I say, we found by insisting on voter ID for elections. We found the people who didn’t have ID were elderly and they, by and large, voted Conservative, so we made it hard for our own voters.”
What has the impact been on elections?
About 14,000 people were turned away from polling stations at May’s local elections in England because they lacked the right ID, with the overall number denied a vote likely to be considerably higher, the official elections watchdog has said. It also found that 4% of people surveyed as to why they did not vote said it was because of voter ID.
An all-party parliamentary group on democracy and the constitution last year published a report that said the system also led to racial and disability discrimination at the local elections in England.
