As you will be aware, the General Election is taking place on Thursday the 4th of July 2024. In the coming days, we will be sending out more information about what is on offer at this election.
Registering to vote
If you want to vote in this election, you must ensure you are registered to vote. You will be able to register to vote if you’re a British, Irish or European Union citizen, or a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who does not require such leave.
You can register to vote online here. You can also register via post by filling out a form and returning it to your local Electoral Registration Office. Alternatively, you can contact your local Electoral Registration Office and ask them to post a form to you. You will then need to return the completed form to your local Electoral Registration Office.
The deadline for registering to vote is 11:59pm on Tuesday the 18th of June 2024.
New Voter ID laws
We want to inform branches and members that this is the first General Election held after the introduction of new voter identification laws. As part of the changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, all voters must bring a valid form of ID with them in order to vote in person on polling day. A valid form of ID includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)
- Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
- A Blue Badge
- Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
- Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
- Scottish National Entitlement Card issued for the purpose of concessionary travel (including a 60+, disabled or under 22s bus pass)
- 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
- Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
- 60+ London Oyster Photocard funded by Transport for London
- Freedom Pass
- Biometric immigration document
- National identity card issued by an EEA state
- Voter Authority Certificate
- Anonymous Elector’s Document
You can find the full list of accepted ID documents here. You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. You can use an out of date form of photo ID, as long as it still looks like you and the name is the same name you use to register to vote.
You do not need voter ID to vote by post.
What to do if you do not have a valid form of ID
If you do not have a valid form of ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.
You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online here, or you can apply by post by downloading the form here. You can also contact your local council in order to obtain a form.
The deadline for applying for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday the 26th of June.
Registering for a postal vote
A postal vote is an easy way to use your vote and ensure you do not have to queue up on polling day. To get a postal vote, you must apply and you must be registered to vote.
There are two main ways to apply for voting in England, Scotland and Wales. You can apply online here or you can apply by post, by completing a form and returning it to your local Electoral Registration Office.
For voting in Northern Ireland, there are more restrictions on applying for postal votes but you can apply for a temporary postal vote if you will not be able to vote in-person on polling day. You can find out more information here.
The deadline for registering for a postal vote in England, Scotland and Wales is 5pm on Wednesday the 19th of June.
The deadline for registering for a postal vote in Northern Ireland is 5pm on Friday the 14th of June.
As always, we encourage all members to get out and use their vote. You can find out where your nearest polling station is at https://wheredoivote.co.uk/.
If you have any questions, please address them to the General Secretary’s Department at jdunn@cwu.org
Yours sincerely
Dave Ward
General Secretary
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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