Residents who want to vote in person at this year’s local elections in Cambridge on Thursday 2 May are being reminded that they will be required to show an accepted form of photo ID.
Anyone planning to vote at a polling station, including a proxy voting on someone else’s behalf, and who does not already have one of the acceptable forms of ID, can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate either online (at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate) or by post, before the deadline of 5pm next Wednesday 24 April. To do so, people will need a recent digital photo of themself and their National Insurance number.
A variety of different forms of photo ID can be used to vote at polling stations on 2 May. These include:
- Passports issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, a state of the European Economic Area (EEA) or a Commonwealth country
- Driving licences issued by UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state
- Blue badges
- Older or disabled person’s bus passes
- Identity cards featuring the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS cards)
- Biometric immigration documents
- Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Cards)
- Oyster 60+ Cards, Freedom Passes and more.
For the complete list of acceptable forms of ID visit www.cambridge.gov.uk/voter-id-in-polling-stations. Even expired documents will be accepted if the photograph on the document still resembles the person in question.
Anyone with a Voter Authority Certificate from last year can still use it to vote, even if it was issued by another local authority.
Robert Pollock, returning officer for the local elections, said: “This is the second year when there will be a requirement to show photographic ID if you’re voting at a polling station. If you arrive to vote at a polling station on 2 May without an acceptable form of photo ID, our election staff will need to ask you to go and get one before they’ll be able to issue you with your ballot paper.
“I’d encourage everyone wishing to vote in these important elections to take a few moments to check whether they have one of the accepted forms of photo ID – if not, you can still apply for the free Voter Authority Certificate before next Wednesday. And remember, you can also use one of the accepted forms of ID even if it’s out of date – as long as the photo on it still looks like you.”
