Are you ready to vote this May?
12th April 2023 Posted in Council News
There are a number of ways you can have your say on Thursday, 4 May, but first of all you must be registered to vote. If you’re not registered, you have until 11.59pm on 17 April to register – apply at: Register to vote – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Once you are registered, you can vote:
- in person at your designated polling station on Thursday, 4 May between 7am and 10pm
- by post – you must be registered to vote by post by 5pm on Tuesday, 18 April: Postal votes | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk)
- by proxy, allowing someone else you trust to cast your vote for you at the polling station. You must apply for a proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday, 25 April. Proxy votes | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk)
The elections on Thursday, 4 May, will be the first in the borough requiring voters to show an accepted form of photo ID if they are voting in person. This is a national change to the voting system.
There are a wide number of accepted forms of photo ID, including passports, driving licences and bus passes. ID does not have to be in date but does have to look like you and does have to be in the name you are registered to vote under.
A full list of accepted forms of ID can be found at: www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/voter-id
If you do not have any of these types of ID then you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. These must be applied for by 5pm on Tuesday, 25 April. Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you are voting as someone’s proxy then you must bring your own photo ID – not the ID of the person you are voting on behalf of.
You do not need photo ID to vote by post.
You can contact the electoral services team at: voting@bracknell-forest.gov.uk or by calling 01344 352000.