Implications for voters, candidates, and political parties
A press notice on Royal Assent of the Act was published on gov.uk on 28 April, and the House of Commons Library has updated its briefing on the passage of the Act. Much of the detail for implementation of the Elections Act will be set out in secondary legislation, which will be made over the course of 2022/23 now that the primary legislation has received Royal Assent.
Significant changes have been introduced by this legislation which include:
Voter Identification
Electors needing to show an approved form of photo identity before voting in a polling station, the ID does not have to be valid provided the likeness is still true
Anyone without suitable photo identification, such as a passport, driving licence or national bus pass, will be able to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) from January 2023.
Political parties and campaigners banned from handling postal votes
There will be a limit of 6 postal votes a person can hand in at a polling station
Postal voters will need to make a fresh application every 3 years, instead of the 5-yearly signature refresh
Electors will only be allowed to act as proxy for up to 4 people, of which no more than 2 can be "domestic electors" - i.e. not overseas voters
Applications will require identity verification - both online and paper applications will include a requirement for the applicant's identity to be verified
Secrecy and postal vote handling rules will be in place from elections in May 2024
Existing postal voters will make the transition to the new system in the run up to 31 January 2026, rather than existing postal voters being moved across in tranches
New postal and proxy voting limits will be in place from May 2024 polls
Electors will be able to apply online for an absent vote from 31 October 2023
EU Citizens' Voting and Candidacy Rights
EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to register, vote, and stand for election
Two groups of EU citizens will retain their rights:
'qualifying EU citizens' from countries with reciprocal agreements, and who have leave, or do not require it, to remain in the UK - currently Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain
'EU citizens with retained rights' who were resident in the UK before 1 January 2021 - i.e. before the UK left the EU
Expected to be in place for the May 2024 Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections here in Essex. These elections will also now be First Past the Post so electors will no longer have a second choice on the ballot paper
The Electoral Registration Officer will conduct a review process from 7 May 2024 to determine rights of EU citizens and remove anyone from the electoral register who is no longer entitled to register to vote, vote and stand for local elections
