Local elections are taking place across England today, and they will be unlike any other.

For the very first time, people wishing to cast their ballots will be required to show a form of photographic ID. 

The new requirements draw on the recommendations of a 2016 report by Sir Eric Pickles, the former communities secretary, which warned there was a risk of “significant abuse” of the electoral system if people could vote under false pretences with little risk of detection. 

Here, The Telegraph details everything you need to know about the new rules. 

What are the new voter ID requirements?

Starting this year, everyone wishing to vote in the UK will have to produce photographic ID at the polls.

The new rule will apply in stages, beginning with the local elections in England on May 4, 2023.

Photographic ID will also be needed from this date forwards to take part in UK parliamentary by-elections and recall petitions, as well as police and crime commissioner votes in England and Wales.

The mandate will then apply to UK general elections from October 2023.

However, there will be no requirement to produce photographic ID to vote in local or devolved parliamentary elections in either Scotland or Wales.

And the change will make no difference to voters in Northern Ireland, who have been required to show photographic ID since 2003.

The change marks a significant departure from the current system in most of the UK, where electors need only verbally confirm their name and address in order to cast a ballot.

What types of ID are accepted?

Voters will only be required to show one form of photographic ID at the polls, and it does not need to be in date - so long as it is recognisable as the person at the ballot box. 

However, it must be the original version, not a photocopy, and the name on the ID should be the same as it appears on the electoral register.

Acceptable forms of voter ID are:

• Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
• Full or provisional driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state
• A Blue Badge
• Any identity card bearing the Pass (Proof of Age Standards Scheme) hologram

Or any of the following travel passes:

• Older person’s bus pass funded by the Government
• Disabled person’s bus pass funded by the Government
• Oyster 60+ card funded by the Government
• Freedom pass
• Scottish national entitlement card
• 60 and over Welsh concessionary travel card
• Disabled person’s Welsh concessionary travel card
• Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• Registered blind SmartPass or blind person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• War disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• Half fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland

Or any of these government-issued documents:

• Biometric immigration document
• Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
• National identity card issued by an EEA state
• Electoral identity card issued in Northern Ireland
• Voter authority certificate
• Anonymous elector’s document

Do the new rules apply to postal votes?

No. You do not need to have any form of photographic ID to vote by post.

However, there are checks in place to ensure this process is as robust as possible. 

You will be asked to provide your date of birth and signature both when you apply to vote by post and when you return your voting pack, with the results cross-checked to confirm your identity.

The deadline to apply to vote by post was April 18.

How can I get an electoral photo identity card?

The deadline for online applications for those wishing to apply for a free voter ID card in time for the May 4 local elections has passed.

For future elections, you can apply for a free voter ID card either online or by post.

To complete an online application, you will need a recent, digital photo of yourself and your National Insurance (NI) number.

You can still apply if you don’t have an NI number, but you will need to provide alternative documents as proof of identity - such as your birth certificate, a bank statement or utility bill.

To apply by post, you will need to fill out and send a form to your local electoral registration office.

You will need the address of where you are registered to vote, a recent photo of yourself and your NI number. 

Again, other supporting documents are accepted - but using these may prolong the application process.

The electoral registration office must receive your form by 5pm, six working days before the election you wish to vote in.

There is a different form to complete if you want to apply by post and you are living abroad, a member of the Armed Forces, a civil servant or a British Council employee.

What if I don’t have a valid ID?

Anyone without a form of ID that fits the new requirements can apply for a free voter authority certificate (VAC).

This is not a substitute to registering for vote, which must be done in advance of any application. 

The deadline for applying to register to vote in the May elections was 11:59pm on April 17.

Why is voter ID being introduced?

The new legal requirement is aimed at cracking down on potential voter fraud, by preventing people from impersonating others at the polls.

The plans draw on the recommendations of a 2016 report by Sir Eric Pickles, the former communities secretary, which warned there was a risk of “significant abuse” of the electoral system if people could vote under false pretences with little risk of detection.

Why is voter ID so controversial?

The Government has said the change is necessary to curb the “inexcusable potential” for “stealing someone’s vote” by simply quoting their name and address at the ballot box.

But critics have pointed out that actual claims of electoral fraud are very rare in the UK. 

In 2019, out of more than 58 million votes cast, there were only 33 allegations of impersonation at the polls, according to the Electoral Reform Society.

Opponents of the new mandate have also warned it will make it more difficult for certain people to have their say, including the disabled, transgender and non-binary voters, and black and ethnic minority groups.

Across the whole of the UK, it is estimated that close to two million adults do not have any forms of ID that meet the new requirements.

But Lee Rowley, the local government minister, has denied that the scheme is equal to “some form of suppression”.