Bedford elections: Key deadlines to know ahead of May polling day - including last date to register to vote or apply for photo ID

Make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to have your say in next month’s local elections as the deadline to apply is rapidly approaching.

Bedford Borough Council will hold elections for the mayor and borough ward councillors on Thursday, May 4. It is one of 16 councils in the country to have a directly elected mayor.

Previously, local mayoral elections used the supplementary vote system, where voters would choose a first and second choice. But The Elections Act 2022 changed this and now the votes will be counted using the First Past the Post system – the same used for UK parliamentary elections.

In February 2023, new boundaries and wards were adopted by Bedford Borough Council. There will be 46 elected borough councillors each representing one of 28 wards in the Bedford borough area.

Parish council elections will also be held.

The following are dates and deadlines to consider so you don’t miss out on casting your vote.

Registration to vote

The deadline is midnight on Monday, April 17, go online to register to vote.

Postal vote deadline

The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday, April 18 – you can apply online here.

Voters who already have a postal vote in place will have had them sent out by first class post already. If you applied for a postal vote after March 1, your postal vote will be issued after the last day to apply for a postal vote. Final postal votes for new electors will be sent as soon as possible after Wednesday, April 26.

Proxy vote

The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday, April 25 – apply here.

If you have appointed a proxy to vote on your behalf at your allocated polling station, both you and your proxy will be sent a card.

The verification and counting of the votes will take place on Friday, May 5 at the John Bunyan Sports Centre. Only staff appointed by the Returning Officer, candidates, candidates' guests, election count agents and accredited media can attend the count.

Photo ID

Voters will now need to show an accepted form of photographic identification to cast their vote. Most voters will already have an accepted form of ID – which includes passports and driving licenses. If you don’t already have one, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. The deadline for applications is 5pm on April 25.

Poll cards

If you had not received a card by April 7 it may mean you are not registered. If you have moved in early 2023 you need to have ensured you have re-registered at your new address. If you have not received a poll card, you need to contact Electoral Registration who can check if you are registered to vote at your current address.

The poll card will list the electoral areas – Mayoral, Ward and Parish Council, though not all areas will have parish elections as many parishes are likely to be uncontested and some borough wards do not have a parish.

At the polling station and with postal votes, electors will be presented with one, two or three ballot papers shown in different colours. It will indicate how many votes you have on each ballot paper.

Contact the Electoral Registration Team for further information by calling 01234 718078 or emailing [email protected]