With only two weeks to the Local Elections the Honiton Ready To Vote campaign is warning those without suitable Photo ID that they only have a couple of days left to apply for a "Voter Authority Certificate" in order to be able to vote.

It is now compulsory for voters to produce Photo ID such as a driving licence or passport at the polling station to be allowed to vote.

However, not all Photo ID will be accepted. The campaign advises people to check the full list on the back of their polling cards.

The Government's own research indicates that as many as 4% of people may not have the right type of Photo ID meaning that as many as 4,800 voters in East Devon could be affected by the new laws.

However, East Devon District Council has confirmed in a written answer to a public question that by 17 April 2023 they had only received 168 applications for Voter Authority Certificates although they said that "many more applications for postal votes have been received".

Campaign organiser and independent candidate Nicholas Ingham says "Recent polling shows that as many as a quarter of people are completely unaware of the new law. Most people that we talk to in Honiton are aware that they now need Photo ID to vote but we are still finding many who are not. We are planning to deliver leaflets about 90% of the voters in the Honiton St Michaels ward before the election but could do with some volunteers to deliver leaflets in other wards".

"The good news is that many candidates in the East Devon District Council election such as Jenny Brown (Conservative candidate in St Michaels) and Tony McCollum (Independent candidate for St Pauls) are featuring the new Photo ID requirements prominently in their election campaign leaflets which will help to spread the word."

It's now too late to apply for a postal vote. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Tuesday 25th April 2023.

For more information visit this website.