Cornwall General Election 2024 - photo ID, how to find polling stations and more

Voters will go to the polls for the General Election in just a week. If you plan to vote on July 4, it's time to make sure you know where your polling station is and what you'll need to take with you.

Cornwall Council is also reminding voters that they will need to take ID on the day. Voters have been required to bring photographic identification for certain elections in the UK since May 2023.

There are six constituencies in Cornwall and one MP will be elected to represent each of them. You must be 18 or over and be registered to vote.

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Read on to find out everything you need to know about voting in the 2024 General Election in Cornwall.

How do you find your polling station?

Your poll card will tell you where to find your polling station. Cornwall Council says voters should check the information on this, as your polling station might have changed since the last elections.

You can also check your polling station by typing your postcode into its polling station finder. You must vote at the polling station you have been assigned.

What time are polling stations open?

All polling stations are open between 7am and 10pm. Voters who have opted to vote by post must return their postal ballot pack by 10pm on July 4.

If you don’t have time to return it by post, you can hand it in to your local polling station.

Can you get help on the day?

If you need help to cast your vote at a polling station, you can take someone with you to assist you or ask the presiding officer for help. There will be large print versions of the ballot paper available and a tactile voting device to help blind and partially sighted voters complete their ballot paper at all polling stations, Cornwall Council says.

If voters require support, the presiding officer can read out the candidates’ names and help the voter mark the ballot paper. If you require any additional support to help you vote, contact Cornwall Council’s elections team on 01872 324 196 or email voter-registration@cornwall.gov.uk.

What ID is needed to vote?

To vote at a polling station you must take your photo ID with you. Accepted forms of ID include:

• Passport

• Driving licence

• Government issued older or disabled person’s bus pass

• Blue Badge

• Defence Identity Card

• Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)

The full list of accepted ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website.

You can still use your photo ID if it's out of date, as long as it looks like you. The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.

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Do you need your own pen?

Pens are provided but you are welcome to bring your own if you would like to.

Can you take selfies while voting?

According to Cornwall Council: "You shouldn’t take photos inside the polling station as it might put the secrecy of the ballot at risk. You are more than welcome to take photos outside the polling station and share them on social media to encourage your friends and family to vote."

Can you take a friend/partner/children/parents?

The council says: "You can go along to the polling station with whomever you like, but only those registered to vote at that station (and children) will be able to go inside. You must not be accompanied into the polling booth by another adult, unless you have a disability, in which case you can take someone in to help you, or you can ask one of the polling station staff for their help."

Children are welcome at polling stations. While your child must not mark the ballot paper for you, you will be allowed to take them into the polling booth with you.