Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for South Swindon, Heidi Alexander has launched a young voter registration drive ahead of the local elections this May..
Along with young activists from the local Labour Party, Heidi has been handing out postcards to students at New College, and local sixth forms to ensure young people are registered to vote and have the required photo ID or “voter authority certificate” to vote in future elections.
New laws require every voter, irrespective of age or length of time on the electoral register, to show photographic ID or a council-issued “voter authority certificate” at polling stations before they can vote.
The Swindon Borough Council election on 4th May 2023 will be the first time this national requirement has been in place.
The postcards being distributed by South Swindon Labour Party highlight the fact that young people are less likely to hold the types of ID required by law to enable you to vote.
The Government have recently set out the process for how voters without photographic ID can obtain a “voter authority certificate”.
Heidi says: “What worries me about this is that young people are less likely to have the types of photo ID that the Conservative Government are prepared to accept at polling stations. It’s not a coincidence that Conservative Ministers are making it harder for young people to vote – they know the younger you are, the more likely you are to vote Labour. I’m determined to do all I can to ensure young people know how they can vote and how they can make their voice heard. We’ve set up this campaign to ensure that every young person in Swindon is absolutely clear on what they need to do to ensure they can exercise their right to vote.”
South Swindon Labour Party’s Youth Officer Bailey Adams says: “I’m really pleased we are running this campaign with Heidi. We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. Millions of people vote online in things like “I’m a celebrity” but the Tories are putting up more and more barriers to exercising your basic democratic rights. Young people are going to be disproportionately affected by these changes and so we want to give them information about what they can do.”
Everyone who provides their details via the QR code on the postcard will be sent details about how to ensure they are on the electoral register, what photo ID they need and if they don’t have the necessary ID, how to obtain a “voter authority certificate”.
Acceptable forms of photographic identification include:
- a UK passport
- a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
- a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
- a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
- a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- a Blue Badge
- a biometric residence permit (BRP)
- a Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
- a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- a Voter Authority Certificate
- an Anonymous Elector’s Document
You can also use one of the following travel passes as photo ID when you vote:
- an older person’s bus pass
- a disabled person’s bus pass
- an Oyster 60+ card
- a Freedom Pass
- a Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
- a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- a Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- a Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass
A full list is available on the Electoral Commission’s website.
You can still use your photo ID if it is out of date, as long as it still looks like you. The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.
You cannot use your polling card as identification.
