On 4 July 2024, around 16,000 people arrived at polling stations across Great Britain, were turned away because they did not have accepted photographic identification, and did not return to cast a ballot, according to the Electoral Commission's post-election analysis. That is a fraction of a percent of those who voted in person. It still has a shape. It includes electors holding utility bills, bank cards, council tax statements and workplace passes, none of which count under the Elections Act 2022.

On 7 May 2026, the same requirement returns as voters in England choose thousands of councillors, including all 32 London borough councils, alongside a patchwork of district, borough and unitary authority contests. For candidates and canvassers, one question will sit behind the usual doorstep arguments about bins, bus routes, planning consent and housing repair backlogs: whether photo ID is protecting elections or quietly reducing who takes part.

What is on the ballot

English local elections do not follow one national pattern. The 2026 set is dominated by the London borough elections, where every seat in all 32 borough councils will be contested. Those councils control council tax, planning, housing and social care, and they determine much of the street-level government that affects residents in places such as Brent, Croydon, Tower Hamlets and Haringey.

Elsewhere, the calendar is patchier. Some councils elect every seat at once; others elect a portion under local cycles. A voter in one borough may be choosing a whole council while a voter just across the boundary chooses a single ward representative. Polling day is 7 May 2026, and anyone voting in person in England is subject to the same photo ID rules that have been in force since 2023. The devolved administrations hold their local elections at different times, so the May contest is an English set.

What voters must show

Since 2023, anyone voting in person at a polling station in England has had to show photographic identification before being given a ballot paper. The accepted list is narrower than many people expect. A valid passport, UK or EEA driving licence, Blue Badge, older person's bus pass, disabled person's bus pass, Oyster 60+ card, Freedom Pass, or an identity card bearing the PASS mark will work. A biometric residence permit, biometric residence card, or national identity card from an EU or EEA country is also accepted.

Expired documents are usually accepted if the photograph still looks like the holder, but photocopies and phone photographs are not. A university or college student card is not automatically valid: it must carry the PASS hologram to count.

• UK, EU or EEA passport
• UK or EEA driving licence, including provisional licences
• Blue Badge or older person's or disabled person's bus pass
• Oyster 60+ card or Freedom Pass
• Identity card with PASS mark
• Biometric residence permit or card
• Voter Authority Certificate

Anyone without one of these documents can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. For the 7 May 2026 polls, the application deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April, according to the UK government's voter ID guidance.

Postal voters face different checks. A postal ballot pack is matched against the elector's signature and date of birth rather than a photo document, which is why the ID debate rarely falls evenly across the electorate. The legal basis for all of this is the Elections Act 2022, which introduced the requirement for UK parliamentary elections and local elections in England, as well as police and crime commissioner elections.

Photo by Jordhan Madec on Unsplash

The numbers from 2023 and 2024

The first large test came in May 2023, when English local elections required photo ID for the first time. The Electoral Commission later estimated that around 14,000 people who went to a polling station were not issued a ballot paper and did not return later with acceptable identification.

At the July 2024 general election, the scale was similar in percentage terms. Around 16,000 people, or 0.08% of those who voted in person, left without casting a ballot because they lacked accepted ID, according to the Electoral Commission's post-election analysis. Thousands more were initially turned away but came back later with a passport, driving licence or other accepted document, and were able to vote.

The same research found the burden was not evenly spread. People with disabilities and unemployed people were more likely to be affected, and awareness of the free Voter Authority Certificate remained low in the first elections. That evidence is central to the 2026 debate: opponents call it an unnecessary filter, while supporters say the number of people affected is too small to justify scrapping a check used in many other everyday transactions.

The debate behind the polling booth

Opponents of the requirement argue that confirmed cases of personation at polling stations remain extremely rare, while possession of accepted photo ID is not universal. The 2023 and 2024 figures, they say, measure the people who tried and failed; they cannot measure the voters who stayed home after seeing the warnings on poll cards or social media. Northern Ireland has used photo ID at polling stations for two decades, but it also issues a dedicated Electoral Identity Card that is free and automatic in practice. England's Voter Authority Certificate, by contrast, requires a separate application and has been taken up by a small share of those who might need it.

Supporters of the system, including the Conservative architects of the Elections Act 2022, say the requirement brings Britain into line with countries such as Canada and parts of the United States, and that photo ID is already needed for work, travel, banking and age-restricted purchases. They point to the fact that most people who lacked ID at the polling station returned later with an accepted document, and they describe the free certificate as a safety net.

Labour's 2024 manifesto did not promise to repeal voter ID. It said the party would improve registration and address inconsistencies in the rules that prevent legitimate voters from voting. What should a candidate say to a voter who has never held a passport or a driving licence? As the 2026 campaign starts, what that means in practice is being debated at council level: some London boroughs and campaign groups want more accepted documents for the next election, while others want clearer publicity for the certificate so fewer people arrive unprepared.

Seven weeks before polling day, the practical checklist

Because the Voter Authority Certificate deadline falls on 28 April 2026, local candidates and voting rights groups are urging people to check their ID now. The application itself requires a recent digital photograph, a National Insurance number if available, and usually takes a few minutes online. Councils cannot issue a certificate at the polling station on the day, and there is no equivalent of a sworn declaration for someone who arrives without ID in England.

If a voter has a passport that expired years ago but still resembles them, it should be accepted. If someone relies on a student card, they should check whether it carries the PASS mark. Anyone voting by post is outside the photo ID requirement, but the postal vote application deadline is also approaching and varies by council. The May 2026 elections will test how well these rules have been absorbed since the first bruising round of evidence in 2023.

Photo by The Now Time on Unsplash

When polls close at 10pm on 7 May, the immediate story will be which party won in Croydon and whether a single council changed control. The longer question is what the Electoral Commission's next post-election report says about how many voters were turned away and why. Those numbers, rather than the leaflets, are likely to determine whether the voter ID debate becomes a settled part of English election administration or a recurring fight before every polling day.