What photo ID will you need to vote in the local elections?

Everyone voting in person at the local elections in England on 1 May must show valid photo ID.

Voters in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election also need to provide proof of their identity.

Anyone without the correct ID will be turned away.

More than 20 forms of ID will be accepted, external, including:

You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.

If you wear a face covering, such as a medical mask or a veil worn on religious grounds, you will be asked to remove it briefly, external so polling station staff can check that your ID looks like you.

You can exchange a paper driving licence for a photocard, or apply for a photocard travel pass if you are aged 60 or over, disabled or registered blind or partially sighted.

Alternatively, anyone registered to vote, external without the correct ID - or who no longer looks like their photo - can apply for a free document called a voter authority certificate, external.

However it is too late to get one to use in the May elections.

Voters in England whose ID is lost or stolen can apply for an emergency proxy vote, external up until 17:00 on polling day.

Both they and their proxy - a person nominated to vote on their behalf - must already be registered to vote.

If you go to the polling station without the correct ID, you will be asked to come back with valid documentation.

If you think your ID has been wrongly rejected, the Electoral Commission - which oversees UK elections - says you should notify the presiding officer at the polling station., external

If this does not resolve the issue, you can raise your concerns with your council's returning officer.

Polling station staff record how many voters are turned away, as well as the number who return with valid ID.

According to the commission:

When the photo ID rules were introduced in May 2023, the government said it would stop votes being stolen, although that is quite unusual in the UK.

There were 1,462 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to police between 2019 and 2023, according to the most recent figures from the Electoral Commission., external

Of these, 11 involved impersonation at polling stations. One resulted in a conviction and one in a caution, and the police took no further action in the other nine cases.

The Electoral Commission has called on the government to expand the list of accepted ID and to allow voters to cast their ballot without ID if another registered voter could vouch for their identity.