Voters urged to check they’re election ready before it’s too late
With only one week to go until the voter registration deadline for elections on Thursday 2 May, anyone wanting to vote must make sure they are election ready.
Elections are taking place for a Mayor for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and a Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner.
The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 16 April. Voters can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. It takes just five minutes.
Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 17 April.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 24 April.
Voters will need to show photo ID to vote at a polling station. This requirement was introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act 2022. To find out which photo ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website.
Please note that Merseytravel local bus passes are not a valid form of photo ID. A Merseytravel pass must say ‘Funded by HM Government’ to be valid.
If you do not have one of the accepted types of photo ID, you can apply for free photo ID at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or by completing and submitting a paper form to your local authority. You must apply by 5pm on 24 April, to be able to use the Voter Authority Certificate on 2 May.
Paul Satoor, Local Returning Officer at Wirral Council, said:
Don’t lose your chance to use your vote at elections, as they are an important opportunity to have your say on who represents you and makes decisions about issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in Wirral.
If you’re in doubt about whether you need to register to vote, or have questions about how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, or free photo ID, you can contact Wirral Council’s Electoral Services Team by e-mail at electoral@wirral.gov.uk or tel. 0151 691 8046.
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission, said:
It is important that people check they’re election ready ahead of upcoming deadlines. All voters must be registered, and some may need to apply for a postal or proxy vote or free photo ID.
Voters will need to show photo ID at polling stations. Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of photo ID can apply for free ID online or by completing a paper form and submitting it to their local council.
Information about the new requirement and all your voting options can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.
