Voters urged to check they’re election ready before it’s too late

With only five days to go until the voter registration deadline for local elections on 4 May, anyone wanting to vote must make sure they are election ready.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 17 April. Voters can apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. It takes just five minutes.

Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 18 April. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 25 April.

This May, for the first time, voters will need to show photo ID to vote at a polling station.

Accepted forms of ID include:

• Passports
• Driving licences
• Cards with a PASS mark
• Certain travel cards

The full list of accepted ID is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate before the 25 April deadline.

Key dates

• 17 April at 11.59pm: deadline to register to vote
• 18 April at 11.59pm: deadline to apply for a postal vote
• 25 April at 5pm: deadline to apply for a proxy vote
• 25 April at 5pm: deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate