Voter ID for May 2025 Local Elections

The forthcoming local elections on the 2nd May 2024, will again be impacted by the Elections Act 2022.

Electors will have to show an approved form of photo identification before voting in a polling station. Photographic ID will include passport, driving licence, immigration documents or a PASS ID card. However, this will not include work or student passes and photocopies of ID documents. If they do not possess approved ID, they can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate that will be available from the Electoral Registration Officer of Winchester City Council.

The presiding officer will refuse an electoral ballot paper if they have reasonable doubt the ID does not look like the elector or suspect that the document is forged. Many of our residents opt for absent voting. Postal voters will need to make a fresh application every three years, instead of the five yearly signature refresh currently.

New postal and proxy applications will require identity verification going forward. The changes to absent vote applications are expected to come into force from December 2023 and the online application service is estimated to be available from August 2023.

The government will be running a campaign starting this month and more detail will be forthcoming shortly.