Sharp jump in applications to vote in May elections

APPLICATIONS to vote jumped sharply on Tuesday, the last day people were able to register ahead of next month’s local, mayoral and police elections.

A total of 153,614 applications were submitted, the highest for a single day so far this year and more than three times the previous high of 43,037, which was set on Monday.

An average of 45,059 applications to vote were made per day in the week to April 16, up from 24,906 the previous week and 21,234 a fortnight ago, Government figures show.

Every voter in England and Wales will be able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election on May 2.

Nearly 2,700 council seats in England are up for grabs across 107 local authorities, while 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales will also be chosen,m including Derbyshire.

Polls are also taking place to elect some of the most high-profile mayors in the country, including the new East Midlands combined authority covering Derby and Nottingham and their respective counties.

Not everyone applying to vote will be a new voter, as some may already be registered while others might not be eligible to take part.

But the spike in applications suggests a growing interest in the elections, which are now a little over two weeks away.

Around 44 million people are estimated to be eligible to vote on May 2, but as many as 7 million people are either incorrectly registered or missing from the register entirely, according to the Electoral Commission, which oversees all elections in the UK.

Meanwhile, anyone who wanted to use a postal vote for the elections must have send their application to their local council by 5pm yesterday.

All voters intending to cast a ballot on May 2 will not only need to be registered but also show a form of photo identification at the polling station. Not all types of photo ID will be accepted, but a passport, driving licence or blue badge are valid.

Anyone without the correct identification will need to apply for a voter authority certificate by 5pm on April 24, which can be done online at gov.uk/apply-forphoto-id-voter-authoritycertificate.

Photo ID rules were brought in as part of the Elections Act 2022, with the Government saying they were necessary to combat the risk of in-person voter fraud.