Preparing to Vote

Preparing to vote: May 1, 2025 *

To vote in any election people must be registered, and anyone voting at a polling station must also show one type of approved photo ID.

Key election voter deadline dates

For the May 1, 2025 elections, the important dates are:

  • Register to vote by midnight on April 11 if not already registered
  • Apply for a new postal vote (or to cancel or change an existing postal or proxy vote) by 5pm on April 14
  • Apply for a new proxy vote by 5pm on April 23
  • Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if you don’t have photo ID by 5pm on April 23
  • Day of election: Thursday May 1, 2025, 7am to 10pm

Polling station locations

Also, a reminder for all electors to check their poll card for their polling station location. Polling station venues can change for different elections if venues are unavailable.

Voter ID

Voter ID at polling stations has been in place since May 2023. Voters must show one form of photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. The full list of accepted photo ID can be viewed at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/voterID

For the elections on May 1, 2025, the Armed Forces Veterans Card will be accepted as a new form of Voter ID.

Any registered elector without the right ID can apply to get a free Voter Authority Certificate that can be used for voting for up to ten years.

You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or contact the Elections Team at NKDC on at elections@n-kesteven.gov.uk or 01529 414155 to discuss options.

EU citizens voting and candidacy rights changes

There have been changes to the voting and candidacy rights of some EU citizens. NKDC has completed a statutory review of EU citizens on the NKDC electoral register, and any non-eligible citizens have been notified and removed as part of this process. For an EU citizen living in the UK, whether you can vote depends on the type of election and your citizenship.

The first scheduled elections these changes will apply to in England are the local elections in May 2025.

More information, including a tool EU citizens can use to find out which elections they can vote in, can be found on the Electoral Commission website.