Voter ID and local elections 2026: everything LGBTQ+ people need to know

Local councils decide more about daily life than they’re generally given credit for. Housing, education, social care, transport, green spaces and local planning all sit within their remit, which makes May’s elections worth paying attention.

But before you can vote on 7 May, you’ll need to bring accepted photo ID to your polling station, and that requirement hits some parts of the LGBTQ+ community harder than others.

Research by Stonewall and the LGBT Foundation found that nearly a quarter of trans respondents (24%) and almost one in five non-binary respondents (19%) don’t own usable photo ID. The good news is that there’s a free alternative that carries no gender marker, and most people don’t know it exists.

Can I get free voter ID for the local elections?

Yes. If you don’t have an accepted form of ID, or if you’d rather not use one that carries a gender marker or no longer reflects how you look, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. It’s free, it contains no gender marker, and polling station staff are trained to check ID sensitively. You can also request to have your ID checked in private. Apply online or by completing a paper form and sending it to your local council. The deadline to apply is 5pm on 28 April.

If you’d prefer not to attend a polling station at all, you can apply to vote by post or apply to vote by proxy instead.

What happens if someone’s name on their ID doesn’t match what’s on the electoral register?

The name on your photo ID should match the name you used to register to vote. If you’ve changed your name and haven’t yet updated your registration, you can contact your local council and ask for the relevant forms to amend it before the election on 7 May. You don’t need to bring your Gender Recognition Certificate to the polling station.

Can you use expired photo ID to vote?

Yes – expired photo ID is accepted as long as the photo is still a good enough likeness for polling station staff to identify you. If you’re unsure whether your ID photo still looks like you, it’s worth applying for the free Voter Authority Certificate mentioned above rather than risking being turned away.

What photo ID is accepted at polling stations?

The following forms of ID are all accepted, expired or otherwise, provided the photo remains a good likeness:

• Passport (UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Overseas Territory, EEA state, or Commonwealth country)
• Photocard driving licence, including provisional (UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or EEA state)
• National identity card issued by an EEA state
• Biometric Immigration Document or eVisa
• PASS card (bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram)
• Blue Badge
• Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
• HM Armed Forces Veteran Card, including the digital version
• Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland
• Voter Authority Certificate
• Anonymous Elector’s Document
• Older Person’s Bus Pass or Disabled Person’s Bus Pass (both UK Government-funded)
• 60+ London Oyster Photocard (Transport for London)
• Freedom Pass
• National Entitlement Card issued in Scotland
• 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card or Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Senior SmartPass, Registered Blind SmartPass, War Disablement SmartPass, 60+ SmartPass or Half Fare SmartPass (all Northern Ireland)

Can you vote without ID?

No – you will not be allowed to vote without ID.

Key dates for the May 2026 local elections

• Monday 20 April: deadline to register to vote
• Tuesday 21 April, 5pm: deadline to apply for a postal vote
• Tuesday 28 April, 5pm: deadline to apply to vote by proxy
• Tuesday 28 April, 5pm: deadline to apply for free voter ID
• Thursday 7 May: polling day

For more information, visit the Electoral Commission website.