Remember your ID

With just a few days to go until the local elections, Devon’s borough and district councils are working to ensure everything is ready ahead of the local elections on 4th May.

This year’s elections will see West Devon residents vote on borough council seats, as well as some town and parish councils. All but one of the borough council seats will be voted on in the poll, as the seat of Milton Ford is uncontested.

West Devon Borough Council’s Election Specialist, Clare Chapman, said: “It does sometimes happen in elections that vacancies are automatically filled due to the number of candidates standing for election.

‘We want to save residents of Milton Abbot, Chillaton, Lamerton and Sydenham Damerel a journey to the polling stations as they no longer need to go to vote.

‘The Milton Abbot polling station will be open to residents of Dunterton only who will be voting for the Tamarside Ward election.”

Staff have been getting things ready for polling day, including processing nomination papers, appointing and training hundreds of members of staff for polling stations, updating the electoral register, processing applications for postal and proxy votes and more.

The councils are also working to make this election the most accessible ever, with polling booths with wheelchair access, ramps where available, large print sample ballot papers and magnifiers, tactile voting devices, reserved disabled parking where available and further considerations being made at polling stations.

West Devon Returning Officer, Steve Mullineaux, said: “There is a lot to get ready ahead of the elections, but our officers will make sure everything is done ahead of 4th May when residents turn out to vote.”

The biggest change to elections this year is the need for people voting in person to bring a form of photo identification with them. This ID could be your passport, driving licence or blue badge, but there are lots of forms of ID that will be accepted. Find out more about what ID is acceptable here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id.

You’ll need one of the following types of photo ID to vote:

a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional);

a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands;

a UK passport;

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 Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card;

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.

This year’s elections will see South Hams residents vote on district council seats, as well as some town and parish councils.

South Hams Returning Officer Andy Bates said: “Our officers will make sure that everything is ready ahead of 4th May, when the district turns out to vote. We want this election to be the most accessible vote ever.”

Details of who are standing for election are available on the Council’s website.

If you are unsure whether you still need to vote, please check at: www.westdevon.gov.uk/local-elections.