APRIL 21, 2023
By: John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: In Somerset, elections are happening for North Somerset Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council, as well as many more town and parish councils.
Voters will need to bring photo ID to the polling station to be allowed to vote — but not every type of ID will be accepted. Anyone without an accepted form of photo ID can get a “voter authority certificate” to use on polling day instead.
You can apply for the certificate up until 5pm on April 25 here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
British driver’s licences and passports — including those issued by certain other countries — are among the forms of ID which will be accepted at polling stations, which are listed in full at the end of this article.
You need to bring the actual ID, not an image or photocopy.
It does not matter if the photo ID you use has expired — but there are two situations in which you could be turned away even with a valid ID.
You may be turned away if the photo on your ID no longer sufficiently looks like you, even if it is otherwise valid. If you are concerned that you do not have an accepted form of ID with a photo that still looks like you, you should sign up for a voter authority certificate here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
You will also not be able to vote if the name on your ID does not match the name you are registered to vote with. You should sign up for a voter authority certificate with the name you are registered to vote with or take a document that proves you have changed your name, such as a marriage certificate.
The government website states: “Small differences do not matter. For example, if your ID says ‘Jim Smith’ instead of ‘James Smith.’”
The full list of types of ID which will be accepted is:
- a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
- a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
- a UK passport
- a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
- a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- a Blue Badge
- a biometric residence permit (BRP)
- a Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
- a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- a Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
- a Voter Authority Certificate
- an Anonymous Elector’s Document
- an older person’s bus pass
- a disabled person’s bus pass
- an Oyster 60+ card
- a Freedom Pass
- a Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
- a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- a Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- a Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass
If you do not have one of the above forms of photo ID, you can sign up for a voter authority certificate here, until 5pm on April 25: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate