How can I get a free electoral identity card?
The government has legislated for a free voter ID certificate applied via an online portal with certificates delivered by local councils. Apply on GOV.UK.
Whilst the certificate itself does not come with a charge – accessing it may not be cost-neutral. Voters may need to find somewhere to access a computer, pay for travel to a library or take time off work to match library opening hours. As the Joseph Rountree Foundation highlights:
“It’s not easy, or necessarily going to be a priority, to apply to your local authority for a free Voter Card if you’re working in an insecure job with irregular, unpredictable and long hours, or juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet while also managing caring responsibilities and health needs.”
Delays to legislation mean councils have very little time to prepare for these changes and notify voters of what they need to do if they don’t have ID before the elections in May.