What photo ID do you need to vote in UK elections?

People in England will need to show photo ID before being allowed to vote at the local elections on 4 May.

The government says the new rules will help prevent voter fraud but critics claim the changes will make it harder for some to vote.

Voters will need to show photo ID to get their ballot paper in polling stations at local elections, police and crime commissioner elections, and parliamentary by-elections. You do not need to bring your poll card.

Some polling stations may have "greeters" outside to remind voters about the need for photo ID. However, you only need to show your ID to staff issuing ballot papers inside.

From October the ID requirements will also apply to any future general elections.

You don't need to show ID if voting by post.

They include:

You can use out-of-date ID as long as you look the same.

The government said the measure would stop votes being stolen, although this is quite unusual in the UK.

Since 2018, there have been 1,386 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to the police, according to the Electoral Commission. These led to nine convictions and six police cautions.

The commission said in the past five years there had been "no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud", although some Conservative MPs claim the statistics underplay the issue.

You could exchange a paper driving licence for a photocard or apply for a photocard travel pass if you're aged 60 or over, disabled, or registered blind or partially-sighted.

Anyone who didn't have the right photo ID, or who no longer looks like the picture on their ID was encouraged to apply for a new free voter ID document known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

The deadline to apply has now passed.

In Northern Ireland, voters can use the Electoral Identity Card. The deadline to apply for one for the 18 May elections is 5 May.

Yes. Polling station staff have a legal duty to record the number of people that cannot be issued with a ballot paper because they could not show valid ID.

This includes the number of people who are turned away and later return to the polling station with the correct ID.