Am I registered to vote? How to check if you can vote in today’s local elections

More than 8,000 seats up for grabs at 230 councils across England on Thursday 4th May

Voters across England will head to the polls today for a series of local elections.

More than 8,000 seats will be contested at 230 councils, with Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough among several cities and regions that will choose a new mayor.

In Northern Ireland, 11 council elections are being held on Thursday 18 May but there are no votes taking place in Scotland or Wales this spring.

People must register to vote before they can choose their preferred candidate in any of those elections.

The deadline to register for the 4 May elections has now passed, although people can still sign up for future elections now if they wish.

Am I registered to vote?

You can check whether you are registered to vote by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office.

This can be done via the following link.

Where is my nearest polling station?

You can find out where your nearest polling station is by checking with your local council or by entering your postcode here.

What if I’m not registered to vote?

The deadline to register to vote in the 4 May elections has now passed.

But people who want to vote in future elections can do so if:

• They are a British citizen
• An Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
• A Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK or who does not need permission
• A citizen of another country living in Scotland or Wales who has permission to enter or stay in the UK or who does not need permission

Those wishing to join the electoral register and vote in future elections can do so by following this link.

The process usually takes around five minutes and you will be asked for your National Insurance number, although you can still register if you do not have it.

It is also worth noting that, if you intended to vote in person but find you cannot do so on the day itself, you are entitled to nominate an emergency proxy voter to cast a ballot on your behalf, so long as you apply before 5pm on Election Day.

You can find out more about that here.

Remember, you will require photo ID to vote this time: you can find out more about what qualifies here.