Voters in Swindon will need to show an approved form of photo ID to vote at a polling station in the Borough and Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday, 2 May 2024.
The regulation was first introduced in the May 2023 elections following new UK-wide legislation introduced by the UK Government (Elections Act 2022).
Accepted forms of photo ID include passports, photographic driving licences, biometric immigration documents and some concessionary travel passes. Poll cards are not eligible forms of ID.
You can still use your photo ID if it’s out of date, as long as it looks like you. The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.
If you don’t have a form of accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate, before 24 April:
- To apply online, visit gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
- To apply by post, call Swindon Borough Council on 01793 445 500 to request a paper application form
- To apply in person, visit the Reception of the Civic Offices (Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH) on any working day between 9.30am and 4pm
Those voting by proxy will need to make sure that the person going to vote on their behalf takes their own ID, and not ID for the person they are voting for. Postal voting will remain the same.
More information on voter identification and a list of acceptable ID documents can be found on Swindon Borough Council’s website.