Everything you need to know about the elections


What ID can I bring to vote? And other frequently asked questions...	View in web browser

What's the new voter ID requirement?

As you may know, local elections are taking place in Swindon on Thursday, 4 May 2023 and this year, voters will need to take an accepted form of photo ID to be able to vote at a polling station.

This follows UK-wide Government legislation that was passed last year.

What ID is accepted?

While a full list of the accepted types of photo ID is on our website, some of the more common types include:

a UK passport
a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence or one issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
a Blue Badge
an older person’s bus pass
a disabled person’s bus pass

You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it looks like you, and the name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.

What do I do if I don't have ID?

You can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, if:

you don't have an accepted form of photo ID
you are not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you
you are worried about using an existing form of ID for any other reason, such as the use of a gender marker

For the local elections on Thursday, 4 May, you will need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate before 5pm on Tuesday, 25 April 2023. You can apply:

Online on the Government’s website
By post – call us on 01793 445500 to request an application form
In person on any working day between 9.30am and 4pm at the Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH

Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate

What if I'm a postal or a proxy voter?

Postal voters won't be affected by the voter ID changes and will be issued with their postal ballot papers as usual.

If you choose to vote by proxy, which is when someone votes on your behalf, then the person you have trusted to vote on your behalf will have to take their own identification to be issued with a ballot paper.

While the deadline to apply for a postal vote has passed, you can still apply for a proxy vote.

Where's my polling station?

Your poll card letter has details of where your polling station is and what forms of photo ID you can bring to cast your ballot.

You can also enter your postcode on our website to see where your polling station is.

Your poll card letter is not an accepted form of ID.

Who am I voting for?

Elections will be held for all borough wards except Ridgeway - 19 Council seats are up for election.

Some parish council areas are also up for election in Central Swindon South, Haydon Wick, Highworth, Stratton St Margaret, and West Swindon.

You can see which candidates you can vote for in Swindon’s Parish and Borough elections by heading to our website and downloading the ’Statement of Persons Nominated’ files to see the full lists.