Millions are still missing from the electoral register with just hours to go before the local elections deadline.
In a warning today the election watchdog the Electoral Commission said voters have until midnight on Tuesday April 16 to register. While 44million are registered to vote in May's local elections, as of last week as many as seven million are incorrectly registered - or missing entirely from the register.
Under new controversial rules all voters will also be forced to show photo ID at the ballot box. Around 14,000 people were turned away from voting at the local elections in England last year - the first major test of the rules outside Northern Ireland.
Those without a passport, driving licence, or other form of accepted ID, are encouraged to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate by April 24 at the latest. The Mirror launched our Get ID, Get a Vote campaign last year to raise awareness of the new rules and make sure everyone's voice is heard.
The Mirror launched our Get ID, Get a Vote campaign last year to raise awareness of the new rulesDirector of Communications at the Electoral Commission Craig Westwood said: “Only people registered to vote can have their say at the May elections on issues important to their local areas. It only takes five minutes. It’s also crucial that voters remember to bring their photo ID to polling stations. Anyone that does not have an accepted form can apply for a free voter ID until 24 April.”
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More than 2,500 council seats will be up for grabs across 107 local authorities in England on May 2 while Wales will see elections for police and crime commissioners.
There will also be key mayoral votes in Tory-held West Midlands and the Tees Valley area while Labour's London Mayor Sadiq Khan fights for a historic third term in office. No polls are scheduled to take place in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
With the Tories trailing Keir Starmer's Labour in the national polls, Rishi Sunak is bracing for a bruising set of results that could reignite attempts among restless Conservative MPs to oust him from No10 ahead of the general election later in 2024. In a dire warning for the Tories last month experts suggested the party could lose up to 500 seats at the local elections - around half the council seats they are defending.
Many of the seats were last up for election in 2021 - when Boris Johnson was riding high in the polls following the rollout of the Covid vaccine. Writing in the Local Government Chronicle in March, analysts Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings said: "Such a high water mark means Conservative losses are inevitable.
"It will be interesting though to track whether voters swap directly to Labour or seek refuge in either smaller parties or the plethora of Independent and community-focused candidates which have become an increasing feature of the locals. If the Conservatives repeat their poor performance of 2023, when the national equivalent vote put them below 30%, they stand to lose up to 500 seats – half their councillors facing election. Labour may make about 300 gains, with the Liberal Democrats and Greens both likely to advance."
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