The Elections Act 2022 (opens new window) is a piece of law that received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022. It has brought significant changes to how elections are run, who can vote, and how they can vote. Among the changes are the introduction of photo identification to vote, greater accessibility at polling stations, the elimination of the 15-year rule for Britons living abroad, and a change in voting rights for some EU citizens living in the UK.
Only some of these changes have gone into effect, with more due to go in effect later in 2023. We will continue to update Hillingdon residents as more information is made available.
Voter ID
Voters will now be required to show ID at polling stations. For more information, please check the Voter ID web page.
Postal and proxy voting
Postal votes will no longer be allowed to be handled by political campaigners or candidates.
There will be a limit to how many postal votes you can hand in at a polling station - you will be allowed to take your own, and up to 5 others. You will also be required to complete a form when you do so.
Postal voters will need to reapply every 3 years, instead of completing a signature refresh every 5 years.
Postal voters will soon be able to apply online.
Electors acting as a proxy will only be allowed to be a proxy for up to 4 people, and no more than 2 domestic electors (electors who live in the UK).
Accessibility
People with disabilities may now bring any companion, as long as the person is over 18, to a polling station if they need assistance with voting.
EU citizens
EU citizens who were residents in the UK before 1 January 2021 will retain their current voting rights. EU citizens who were not residents before 1 January 2021 will no longer be eligible to vote, unless they are citizens of a Commonwealth country or a country with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement. Currently, those countries are Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.
EU citizens who are ineligible to vote are also ineligible to stand for election.
These changes are likely to be in place before the next scheduled Hillingdon election on 2 May 2024.
Overseas voting
The 15 year limit on voting for British citizens living abroad will be lifted. Previously, overseas electors were ineligible to vote 15 years after they moved from the UK. Now, there will be no time limit on eligibility to vote for overseas electors.
The registration period for overseas electors will also be extended from one year to three years.
First past the post voting
The current system for mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections is supplementary voting, which allows voters to vote for candidates in order of preference.
This system will be replaced with "First past the post", the system used for local and general elections. First past the post allows voters to make one selection on their ballot paper.