What your polling card is for and if you need it to vote in 2024 local elections

Local elections are taking place on Thursday, May 2, with voters across England and Wales deciding who represents them at a local level.

Elections will take place across 107 local authority areas, with more than 2,500 councillors being chosen to sit on their local councils in areas up and down the country. Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will be elected in all parts of England and Wales except Greater Manchester, London, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. In our region, the Greater Manchester and Salford mayoral elections will also unfold on the same day.

The deadline to register to vote passed in April, so if you want to vote in this year's election you should have already received your polling card in the post. You'll need to read it before heading to the polling station as it has important information on it.

READ MORE: Millions of voters issued photo ID warning ahead of local elections - list of what you can take

READ MORE: Find your nearest local election 2024 polling station and which ward you are in

Here's everything you need to know about what your polling card is for and whether or not you'll need to take it with you.

What is your polling card for?

If you are registered to vote you will have been sent a poll card which tells you the date of the election, what time you can vote and at which polling station. It will also show your personal details including your name and electoral register number.

Everyone who’s registered to vote in your household will receive their own poll card.

It is important you read your polling card carefully because you are only allowed to vote at the polling station listed on your card. If you try and cast your vote at a different polling station you will be turned away.

If you have not received a poll card, but think you should have, you can contact your local Electoral Registration Office.

Do you need to take your polling card with you to vote on the day?

You do not have to take your poll card with you to the polling station on the day, so you don't need to panic if you've lost it.

You can take it if you wish, but you only need to tell the people at the polling station your name and address when you arrive in order to cast your ballot.

If you have lost your card and you need to find out where your polling station is, you can check it here by entering your postcode.

While you don't need to take your poll card to the polling station, you do now need to take photo ID with you to be allowed to vote.