Elections Act 2022 - changes for electors

Elections Act 2022 - changes for electors

The UK government is implementing significant changes to the current electoral system.

The Elections Act 2022 outlines several measures which will affect and have already affected the way that you vote and how elections are conducted in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Arguably, the biggest change will be the requirement for electors to show photographic identification (such as a passport or drivers’ licence) when they vote at a polling station.

The following sections are a summary of the changes.

You can find out more about the Elections Act 2022 by visiting the UK Government website.

 

Voter ID

All electors, who vote at a polling station, are now required to show an accepted form of photographic identification before they receive a ballot paper and then cast their vote.

There are no exceptions to this requirement and will also include those who are registered as anonymous electors. 

If you act as a proxy for an elector, you will also need to show ID but will not have to provide ID for the person you are acting as a proxy for.

See Voter ID for further information.

 

Accessibility at polling stations

The new law makes it easier for voters with disabilities to vote.  Voters with disabilities will be given extra support at polling stations and anyone over the age of 18 can now act as a companion for a voter with a disability.

 

Overseas electors

The 15-year limit on voting for British citizens living abroad has ended. Any British citizen previously registered to vote in the UK, or who previously lived in the UK, will be able to register to vote, regardless of how long they've lived abroad.

British citizens living abroad will be able to register to vote using the address where they were previously registered. If they were never registered to vote, they can register using the last UK address they lived at.

British citizens living abroad will no longer have to register as an overseas voter every year. Instead, they will have to register every 3 years.

Please see the guidance here Overseas Electors. 

 

Postal voting

If you are applying to vote by post, you are now required to provide your national insurance number as part of your application, this will be verified against government records.

This is an anti-fraud measure to protect the integrity of the postal voting system and you can now apply online for a postal vote.

The Maximum period you can have a postal vote for before having to reapply is up to 3 years. 

If you hand in your postal vote at a polling station on the day of the election, you will only be allowed to hand in a maximum of six postal votes.

Political parties and campaigners will be prevented from handing in postal votes.

Please see the Postal vote handling and secrecy and Absent Voting pages for further information.

 

Proxy voting

If you are applying to vote by proxy, you are now required to provide your national insurance number as part of your application, this will be verified against government records. This is an anti-fraud measure to protect the integrity of the proxy voting system.

A new online application service has been set up and you can now apply online for a proxy vote.

You will only be able to act as a proxy for a maximum of four people. Of these four, the maximum number who can be ‘domestic electors’ (voters living in the UK) is two.

Please see the Absent Voting page for further information.

 

Postal vote handling and secrecy

From 2 May 2024, restrictions on the handling of postal votes by campaigners and voters will apply - see Postal vote handling and secrecy for full details.

 

Changes to voting systems

The voting system, at the elections listed below, has now changed from a supplementary vote system to a simple majority voting system.

This is traditionally known as ‘first past the post’ where you vote for one candidate only and the candidate with the most votes will win.

Candidates will no longer have to secure a certain number of votes; they will just have to win more votes than any other candidate.

The voting system has changed in all elections for: 

  • Combined Authority Mayors
  • Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales 

 

Rights of EU citizens for voting and candidacy

Future changes - from 7 May 2024

EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to register, vote, or stand for election.

These changes will apply to:

  • all local elections and referendums in England
  • elections for council and combined authority mayors
  • Police and Crime Commissioner elections

Two groups of EU citizens will keep these rights: 'qualifying EU citizens' and 'EU citizens with retained rights'.

Qualifying EU citizens

These are EU citizens who:

  • come from countries which have reciprocal agreements with the UK
    and
  • who have 'leave to remain' in the UK, or who do not need 'leave to remain' in the UK

Currently this means citizens from Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

A reciprocal agreement means that the same rules apply in both the UK and that country. For example, a Spanish citizen in the UK could vote or stand for election in the UK, and a UK citizen in Spain could vote or stand for election in Spain.

EU citizens with retained rights

These are EU citizens who were living in the UK before 1 January 2021 (in other words, before the UK left the EU).

When the changes come into force

The changes will come into force from 7 May 2024 and we will contact any affected electors.

Related Pages

Advertisement

Is this page useful?