What photo ID do you need to vote in local elections?

People will need to show photo ID at polling stations before they vote in the local elections on Thursday 2 May.

Thousands of people were unable to vote in the 2023 local elections because they did not have the correct ID.

Elections are taking place in 107 local authorities across England.

Voters will also choose the Mayor of London, London Assembly members and 10 other mayors.

In addition, voters across England and Wales will elect 37 police and crime commissioners (PCCs).

A by-election will select the new MP for Blackpool South, after the resignation of former Conservative MP Scott Benton.

No elections are being held in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Since May 2023, voters have had to show an accepted form of photo ID at polling stations to vote in person at most elections.

The rules apply to:

There is no need to show ID if voting:

Voters in Northern Ireland have had to show photo ID since 2003.

There are 22 acceptable forms of ID, including:

You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.

You can exchange a paper driving licence for a photocard, or apply for a photocard travel pass if you're aged 60 or over, disabled, or registered blind or partially sighted.

Anyone registered to vote without the correct ID - or who no longer looks like their photo - can apply for a free document known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

The deadline to apply for a certificate before the May 2024 local elections has passed.

Voters in Northern Ireland can use the Electoral Identity Card.

The government said it would stop votes being stolen, although this is quite unusual in the UK.

There were 1,462 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to police between 2019 and 2023, according to the Electoral Commission.

Of these, 10 led to convictions and the police issued four cautions. Most resulted in the police taking no further action.

A total of 342 cases of alleged electoral fraud were investigated by the police during 2023. One case resulted in a conviction last year.

The commission said in the past five years there had been "no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud", although some Conservative MPs claim the statistics underplay the issue.

Polling station staff have a legal duty to record the number of people that cannot be issued with a ballot paper because they do not have valid ID.

This includes the number of people who are turned away and later return to the polling station with the correct documentation.

About 14,000 people were unable to vote in the May 2023 local elections in England as a result of the new rules.

But the true figure could be higher because some might have left after reading the ID requirements, without being formally recorded, the Electoral Commission said.

The watchdog's research indicated 90% of voters at the May 2023 elections had been "satisfied with the process of voting".

However, it said that unemployed voters and those belonging to ethnic minorities were more likely to have been turned away.

Two reports have highlighted the potential impact of photo ID on the next UK general election, which must be held before 28 January 2025.

Electoral administrators surveyed by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) warned they would have too few staff to check valid ID and produce Voter Authority Certificates.

The Local Government Association warned that council election teams relied on help from areas without elections in May 2023. It said this would not be possible at a general election, when votes are held in every constituency.

In a separate report, the Electoral Commission called on the government to expand the list of accepted ID.

It also suggested allowing voters to cast their ballot without ID if another registered voter could vouch for their identity.