Voters have just one day left to register to vote for the local elections taking place across England on 1 May. The Electoral Commission is urging anyone who wants to take part to register before the deadline at 11.59pm today.

Registering takes five minutes and can be done online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Voters need their name, address and national insurance number. A person can register if they are a British citizen resident in the UK, or an Irish, qualifying EU or Commonwealth citizen resident in the UK.

Around 570,000 applications to register have already been made in England since 17 February when the Commission’s voter registration campaign began. 

Niki Nixon, Director of Communications, said: 

“Make sure you’re ready to vote ahead of the upcoming local elections on 1 May. You need to be registered to vote before the deadline at 11.59pm tonight. If your details have changed or you’ve moved home since registering for the general election last year, you’ll need to update your details. It only takes five minutes, and you can do it online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

“You’ll also need to take photo ID with you to the polling station. Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of photo ID can apply for free ID online or by requesting a paper form from their local council.

“And if you want to vote by post or by appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf, you’ll need to apply before the deadline.”

Commission research shows that young people, students and those who have recently moved are less likely to be registered.

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

Ends

The Commission has spokespeople available to discuss voter registration and the ID requirement.

For more information contact the press office on 020 7271 0704, out of office hours 07789 920 414 or [email protected]. 

Notes to editors

•  The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity by:

o    enabling the delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing on the needs of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible
o    regulating political finance – taking proactive steps to increase transparency, ensure compliance and pursue breaches
o    using our expertise to make and advocate for changes to our democracy, aiming to improve fairness, transparency and efficiency

•  The Commission has produced a media guide on the 2025 local elections.

•  Elections are taking place across England on 1 May 2025 in 11 local authorities and 14 county councils. There will also be four combined authority mayoral elections, and two local authority mayoral elections.

o    The deadline to register to vote is 11.59pm on 11 April 
o    The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 14 April.  
o    The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on 23 April. 
o    The deadline to apply to use the Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on 23 April

•  Information on the elections and a postcode look-up tool to help voters find their polling station is available on the Electoral Commission website.  

•  Voters will need to show photographic ID at polling stations. A list of accepted forms of ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website. From 1 May, HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards can also be used as voter ID.

•  Free voter ID is available to those that do not have an accepted form of photo ID. Applications can be submitted online or by completing a paper form and sending this to the local council’s electoral services team.

•  Between 17 February and 9 April 2025, 575,826 applications to register to vote were made in England. More information is available via the Government’s register to vote performance dashboard.