Voters in tomorrow's local elections will need to bring formal identification with them to polling booths. Voters in many parts of England will head to the polls to choose which party should take control of their local council, including South Gloucestershire.
More than 200 people in South Gloucestershire applied for voter authority certificates, a new scheme set up for voters without accepted forms of identification. It is unclear however how many voters in the district still have no ID, and so will not be able to cast their ballot.
This is the first election when voters will need formal ID, after the government introduced a controversial new law aiming to reduce voter fraud. Opposition parties however have warned that many people without accepted forms of ID could be turned away from voting.
Read more: May local elections: What each party in South Gloucestershire is promising to do
According to South Gloucestershire Council, 248 people applied for voter ID certificates. Across the country, it is estimated about 85,000 applications were made. The deadline for these applications was last week.
Accepted forms of ID include passports, driving licences, and older or disabled person's bus passes. Voters can use out-of-date ID as long as they look the same. In South Gloucestershire, the ruling Conservative Party is defending a majority of five, with 33 councillors. The Liberal Democrats have 17 councillors while Labour has 11.
