Are you ready to vote in the Local Elections on 4 May 2023?

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Cotswold District Council is encouraging all residents to get ready to vote in the District Elections on May 4th 2023

The Electoral Commission website has all the information you need to make sure that you are able to vote in May. Visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk

As long as you are registered to vote, you can do so in person at a polling station, by post, or someone else can vote on your behalf by proxy.

By Post:

Some residents prefer to vote by post.  By using a postal vote you can make sure your voice is heard at the local elections from the safety of your own home. You also will not be required to show ID to vote by post. You can apply to receive your  vote by post. The application deadline is 5pm on 18 April 

By Proxy:

Electors may also choose to vote by proxy – where another individual casts a vote on a registered voter’s behalf when that individual can not vote themselves. To be able to use a proxy vote applications must be in by Tuesday 25 April by 5pm.  The proxy voter – that’s the person you choose to vote on your behalf – will have to show their own valid photo ID at the polling station.

In Person:

For the first time this year, residents in Cotswold District will need to show photographic ID to vote in person at this year’s local elections.

Accepted forms of photographic ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK, EEA or Commonwealth drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo and the name on the ID should be the same name as appears on the Electoral Register.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online at voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ or by completing a paper form which is available from the Council.

More information is available on the Cotswold District Council website, including details about how to apply for the free ID. Anyone not able to visit the council website, or apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online, is being encouraged to contact the Council by calling 01285 623002 or emailing elections@cotswold.gov.uk. Residents must have applied for Voter Authority Certificate by 5pm Tuesday 25 April.