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Elections Act 2022 - Voter ID and other changes

Important changes to the voting process

The Elections Act 2022 is making changes to the way we’ll vote in the UK. These changes will be introduced during 2023 and 2024 and these pages will be updated as more information becomes available.

From May 2023 individuals who wish to vote in person, including those acting as a proxy on behalf of another individual, will be required to produce an accepted form of photographic ID to prove their identity before they will be issued with a ballot paper. This is a national change implemented by the Government as part of the Elections Act 2022 which councils are required to follow when running elections.

To vote in person, voters must be on the electoral register and bring a suitable form of photographic ID to their polling station. The most commonly used IDs include:

  • Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
  • Photographic driver’s licence issued by the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (including provisional)
  • European Economic Area (EEA) photographic ID Card
  • UK Biometric Residence Permit
  • An identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS card)
  • A Blue Badge
  • A concessionary travel pass funded by HM Government or local authority

For more information on which forms of photo ID will be accepted, visit electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.

Voters who do not produce valid identification or a Voter Authority Certificate (more information below), will not be allowed to vote.

Only original documents will be accepted; scanned images or copies will not be accepted

You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it looks like you.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 do not have one of the accepted forms of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, which can be obtained free of charge. Anyone applying must already be on the electoral register.

The Voter Authority Certificate is a document containing an elector’s name and photograph that can be used as ID to vote in an election. Voter Authority Certificates do not have an expiration date and can be used in future elections so worth keeping hold of if you apply for one.

You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online at https://voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ 

If you can’t complete the online application form you can request a paper form instead or apply in person at the Forest of Dean District Council offices. For more information please call us on 01594 812638 or email elections@fdean.gov.uk.

You can find out more about Voter Authority Certificates here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/applying-a-voter-authority-certificate 

Postal votes applied for on a permanent basis now only last for a maximum of three years. After this three-year period has passed the postal vote will expire and voters will be asked to reapply if they wish to continue to vote by post. If your postal vote is due to expire, we will write to you ahead of the expiry date to remind you to reapply if you wish to continue to vote by post. You do not have to wait to receive our re-application reminder to make a new application, you can apply online.

How to reapply

Apply for a postal vote online

You will need to provide the following:

  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance Number
  • Handwritten signature in black ink on plain white paper that you need to photograph and upload. It is very easy to do this using a smartphone or tablet

Or you can complete and return a paper application form

There will be a limit to how many people a voter can act as a proxy for (someone else you appoint to vote on your behalf). Under the new rules, a person is not entitled to vote as proxy in any electoral area on behalf of more than four electors. Within the four electors, no more than two electors can be domestic electors. Domestic electors are those electors who are neither service voters nor overseas electors.

From 16 January 2024 as part of the Elections Act 2022 the 15 year limit has been removed. If you are a British Citizen living overseas who has previously lived in the UK or been registered to vote in the UK, you can register to vote regardless of how long you have lived outside the UK.

Overseas declaration and any absent vote provisions will be valid for three years, lasting until 1 November in the third year after it takes effect (for example, if your declaration takes effect on 1 March 2024, it will expire on 1 November 2026).

Eligibility confirmation and review for European Union citizens

EU citizens are no longer automatically entitled to:

  • register to vote
  • vote
  • stand for elections using the local government franchise (local government and Police and Crime Commissioner elections). 

EU citizens retaining their voting and candidacy rights are:

  • Qualifying EU citizens - citizens of countries the UK have a shared Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty with. As of May 2024, countries include:
    • Luxembourg
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Spain
    • Denmark.
  • EU citizens with retained rights - citizens from any other EU country and have been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020. 

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