Welcome to this special bulletin focusing on all things elections.

In one months time, local elections will be taking place across the breadth of England in 152 district authorities, 46 unitaries and 33 metropolitan districts. The first of several reforms - introduced by the Elections Act 2022 - will be introduced, including photographic voter ID and accessibility requirements in polling stations. 

Pre-election period and communications guidance 

The pre-election period is the time between an election being announced and the date the election is held. During this time, central and local government are subject to certain restrictions on political activity. In response to requests from council communications teams for support to understand these restricts, we have recently updated our pre-election period guidance. The guidance provides advice on publicity restrictions and should be read in conjunction with any guidance from local Returning or Monitoring Officers on specific local circumstances. 

New photo ID requirements 

From May 2023, voters at local elections will need to provide specific photographic identification when they come to vote in person at polling stations, in addition to being registered to vote. This requirement will also be in place for UK Parliamentary elections from October 2023.

If voters do not have any of these documents, no longer look like the photo on the ID or don’t want to use their ID due to another reason, such as the gender marker, they should apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) as soon as possible and at least six working days before an election. Voters can do this via the VAC online portal or through a paper application process through their local elections team. The deadline for applications for local elections is 25 April this year.

Basic information about what photo ID will be accepted, anonymous voting and the process of applying for a Voter Authority Certificate can be found in our online briefing, voter ID – what you and your resident need to know. More detailed information on the requirements can be found on the Electoral Commissions website and through our voter ID FAQs page. 

In addition, the LGA has produced a briefing which includes resources and useful information to help councils reach people with a learning disability and autistic people who may face barriers to voting following the recent changes. 

Electoral Commission resources

The Electoral Commission has been working to raise awareness of the new voter ID requirements through a national campaign, which includes downloadable resources and partnership packs for specific target groups. Recent research by the Commission as found that voter awareness has increased by 22 per cent in December 2022 to 63 per cent in February 2023. The campaign will continue until polling day. 

Candidate and campaigner safety 

Campaigning and engagement during the pre-election period can mean handling challenging conversations with residents. We encourage candidates, campaigners and councillors to consider their own safety when campaigning and to use the guide to handling abuse and intimidation, in addition to seeking support from the council and local police to mitigate any risks. 

New accessibility requirements 

The Elections Act 2022 introduced changes to voting for disabled people. Disabled voters will now be able to choose anyone over 18 to accompany them in the polling station to help them to vote, including carers who may not themselves be eligible to vote. In addition, the Electoral Commission also issued new Statutory guidance on assistance for disabled voters. This guidance sets out minimum equipment levels and other areas Returning Officers should consider in relation to assisting disabled voters. 

First past the post for Mayoral and PCC elections 

The Act also changed the voting system from mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections from the Supplementary Vote System to the Simple Majority Voting System, known as first past the post. This has now taken effect. 

Future electoral reform 

The Elections Act 2022 introduced a range of other reforms that are being implemented in a phased approach. This includes: 

Postal vote handling and secrecy: Political campaigners will be banned from handling postal votes and a limited will be placed on the number of postal votes a person can hand in at polling stations. The secrecy of the ballot will be extended to postal and proxy votes. 

Postal and proxy voting registration: Postal vote arrangements will need to be refreshed with a new application every three years and a new digital application process will be established to include verification of the voter's identity. There will be a limit to the number of electors a person may act as a proxy for to a maximum of four, with no more than two domestic electors. 

EU citizens’ voting and candidacy rights: The automatic right of EU citizens to vote and stand in elections will be removed. Exceptions to this include EU citizens with retained rights due to residency before the end of the EU Exit implementation period, or nationals from a country with bilateral voting and candidacy rights treaties with the UK Government. 

Overseas electors: The 15-year limit on expatriates’ right to vote in UK Parliamentary elections will be removed. They will be entitled to register with the local authority relevant to their last UK address. 

Digital imprints: Currently, printed campaign materials which fulfil certain criteria must have an imprint setting out who has produced the materials and on whose behalf it has been published. These imprint requirements will also apply to digital materials that meet certain criteria. The Electoral Commission is preparing guidance to set out these criteria clearly and in what circumstances an imprint will be required.