Don’t forget to register to vote

With only a week to go until the voter registration deadline for the Police and Crime Commissioner Election, anyone wanting to vote on 2 May must make sure they are election ready.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 16 April. If you are not already registered to vote at your current address, apply online now at gov.uk/register-to-vote, it takes just five minutes.

Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 17 April. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 24 April.

Everyone voting at a polling station will need to show photo ID – to find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website.

If you do not have one of the accepted types of ID, you can apply for free ID at gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate. You must apply by 5pm on 24 April, to be able to use the Voter Authority Certificate on 2 May.

Information about the new requirement and all your voting options can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.