Local elections 2023: What can't I do in a polling station?

Voters successful immoderate parts of England and Northern Ireland volition take caller councillors crossed 241 councils successful May.

But what tin and can't you bash portion voting successful person?

If you are registered to vote, you volition beryllium sent a canvass paper with your polling fig and polling presumption details. Or find your polling presumption online.

To ballot successful person, you request to crook up astatine the polling presumption betwixt 07:00 and 22:00 BST connected 4 May successful England, oregon 18 May successful Northern Ireland.

If there's a queue, you tin inactive ballot arsenic agelong arsenic you joined it earlier 22:00.

There are 22 forms of valid ID including:

Voter ID has been required successful Northern Ireland since 2003. The deadline to use for a NI Electoral Identity Card for the 18 May elections is 5 May.

Writing implements are provided but you tin bring your ain if you wish.

The deadline for registering for proxy oregon postal votes successful England has passed.

In Northern Ireland, the deadline for registering to ballot by station oregon proxy has besides passed. To vote successful person you indispensable registry by 23:59 BST connected 28 April.

However, you tin use for an emergency proxy vote aft these deadlines if enactment oregon a aesculapian exigency mean you tin nary longer ballot successful person.

You tin bash this up to 17:00 BST connected polling day.

You are not allowed to instrumentality photos wrong a polling presumption due to the fact that the Electoral Commission - which oversees UK elections - says it risks the secrecy of the ballot.

The punishment for revealing however idiosyncratic other voted - adjacent accidentally - is simply a good of up to £5,000, oregon six months successful prison.

But radical are invited to instrumentality photos outside.

Yes, but voters are advised not to update their societal media accounts wrong the polling station.

The rules for postal ballot papers are different, truthful voters tin stock photos of their ain postal ballot insubstantial connected societal media if they wish.

Some radical deliberately spoil their ballot - for example, by penning a connection connected the ballot insubstantial arsenic a protest.

These are recorded but bash not number for oregon against immoderate candidate.

If you motion your ballot and your sanction is identifiable, the ballot does not count.

The Electoral Commission says determination is thing successful instrumentality to forestall idiosyncratic wearing a governmental slogan going into a polling presumption successful bid to vote.

However, they should permission instantly afterwards, arsenic campaigning wrong polling stations is not allowed.

Political treatment is banned wrong polling stations.

Staff volition intervene if they perceive immoderate references to candidates oregon parties.

Bringing children to the polling presumption is encouraged to assistance amended them astir democracy.

But children are not allowed to people your ballot connected the ballot paper.

People who are drunk tin vote, unless they are disruptive.

Polling presumption unit tin assistance oregon you tin bring idiosyncratic with you.

In England, from 4 May 2023, anyone implicit the property of 18 tin assistance you formed your vote. They don't request to beryllium eligible to ballot successful that election.

Polling stations should person large-print illustration ballot papers, and tactile voting devices to assistance radical with ocular impairments.

You tin instrumentality your telephone into the polling booth to usage magnifier oregon text-to-speech apps, oregon the telephone torch to amended lighting. But you indispensable not instrumentality immoderate photos wrong the polling station.

No - it is wholly up to you whether oregon not you vote.

Local councils enlistee a presiding serviceman and unit to behaviour the ballot, number the votes and process the postal votes.

Results from much than 60 councils successful England are expected to beryllium announced overnight, with the remainder passim the time connected 5 May.

In Northern Ireland results volition commencement coming successful connected 19 May.