Time running out to register to vote for East Riding of Yorkshire Council local elections

People wishing to have their say in May’s local elections have less than a month to make sure they are eligible to vote or have the correct voter ID in order to vote at a polling station.

On Thursday, 4 May, people across the East Riding will go to the polls to elect 67 ward members and 168 town and parish councillors.

In order to vote, those who are eligible must be on the electoral register but the deadline for registration is 11.59pm on Monday, 17 April.

Registration is quick and easy and an online form can be found at www.eastriding.gov.uk/elections or by going to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

If people are already on the electoral register and have completed the recent annual canvass forms that were sent out last year, then there is no need to register again.

This year, people on the electoral register and wish to vote in person at a polling station will now be required to show a form of photo ID before they will be issued with a ballot paper.

The new regulations have been introduced by the Government under the Elections Act which was passed last year and is the biggest change to the electoral process for many years.

Some of the most common forms of approved photo identification can include:

• UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonweath passport
• UK or EEA photo driving licence
• an older person’s bus pass or a disabled person’s bus pass
• blue badge.

The full list of approved photo identification can be found on the Electoral Commission website www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID and the documents do not have to be valid, for example, if someone presented with a passport that had expired but the photo still showed a strong resemblance to them, they would be issued with a ballot paper.

For those people who do not have an approved form of photo identification and who wish to vote in a polling station, they can now apply online for a free voter authority certificate.

To apply for the free authority certificate, people must already be registered to vote and on the electoral register before completing the form which will require them to provide a current photo, their full name, date of birth and the address for which they are registered to vote, as well as their National Insurance number.

Once checked and verified, the voter authority certificate will be sent to the applicant in the post, and it will need to be produced at the polling station before a ballot paper is issued.

The online application form can be found at www.voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk and the deadline for applications is Tuesday, 25 April, 2023.

One of the easiest ways for people to vote in the elections without the worry of having to produce photographic identification, is to register for a postal vote. 

Registering for a postal vote is quick and easy and means there is no need to attend a polling station.

Anyone who is eligible to vote and already on the electoral register is able to apply for a postal vote by going to www.eastriding.gov.uk/elections and the deadline for applications is Tuesday, 18 April.

Details of how to register for a proxy vote can also be found at www.eastriding.gov.uk/elections and registration deadline is Tuesday, 28 April.

Timeline of key dates

• 11.59pm, Monday, 17 April 2023 - deadline for people wishing to register to vote in the 4 May 2023 elections
• 5pm, Tuesday, 18 April 2023 – deadline for people wishing to apply for a postal vote and form making amends to postal/proxy votes
• Tuesday, 25 April 2023 - deadline for people wishing to apply for a voter authorisation certificate and a proxy vote