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UK Voters will have a complete list of candidates to choose from for the Mayor of
London elections after the entry window for those to stand closed on Wednesday . The list must be published by 4pm on April 2 but may well be released earlier. The mayoral
election takes place on May 2 and other London elections will be held that same day, giving Londoners the chance to elect councillors. In addition, a byelection is taking place in Blackpool . However, before turning up at the polling booth to vote voters must first register. And from last year they must also bring ID with them. Here is what you need to know. The deadline to register is April 16. According to the Electoral Commission , 18 per cent of London’s eligible adults were not on the electoral register in 2022. Data showed that young people; black, Asian, minority ethnic and migrant Londoners and private and social renters are all underrepresented on the electoral register. The Greater London Authority has backed a motion to increase communication to get all voters registered in time for the election. To register to vote, visit the government’s website here . You should already have received a poll card if you are on the register but you should contact your local authority’s electoral service if you have any concerns. Voters in
England will need to show a photo identification to vote at polling stations in some elections. This applies to: The Electoral Commission has a list of accepted forms of ID but, in summary, the list can include: Travel passes are also acceptable forms of ID, including the following: You can still use your ID to vote if it has expired. However, it still needs to look like you and bear your current legal name. Prince Harry's failed
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SNOW falls in Devon as Storm Nelson hits UK with likely 70mph winds Thames Water 'teetering on the brink' as shareholders pull survival funding Past AXA Startup Angel winners share their tips The move to introduce voter ID has been controversial, especially considering a study from September that showed one in four Londoners are in the dark about the new voter ID requirement. The Government sais the vast majority of voters cast their ballot with ease at last May’s local elections, when the requirement to show officially sanctioned ID was introduced in England in the biggest change to in-person voting in 150 years. The change was needed to combat possible voter impersonation, ministers said. Opponents stress there is barely any evidence of voter fraud in
Britain, with just nine convictions out of tens of millions of ballots cast in the past five years. If you do not have an acceptable voter ID, you can apply for a voter authority certificate. You can apply online and you’ll need a recent digital photo of yourself and your national insurance number. If you don’t know your national insurance number (you can find a lost one here) , you can use something else to identify yourself, such as a birth certificate, bank statement or utility bill. MORE ABOUT Have your say...