On Thursday 2 May the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner election will be taking place alongside the Fareham Borough Council local elections. This year 32 Fareham Borough Council seats are up for election and there is also a Hampshire County Council by-election in the Fareham Sarisbury division.

There will be some significant changes at this year’s elections. Residents are advised that their ward name and polling station may have changed due to recent ward boundary changes. Polling station information will appear on residents’ poll cards, so please check these before setting out to vote.

This year, photographic identification is also required for in-person voting. Accepted forms of photo ID include:

  • Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state, or a Commonwealth country.
  • Photographic driving licence (including provisional) issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state.
  • Biometric immigration document.
  • An identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS card).
  • Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card).
  • Blue Badge.
  • National identity card issued by an EEA state.
  • Older Person’s Bus Pass.
  • Disabled Person’s Bus Pass.
  • Oyster 60+ Card.
  • Freedom Pass.
  • Expired photo ID documents, if the photograph is still a good likeness.

If you are a registered elector and you do not have one of the above accepted forms of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. Additional information on Voter ID can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.

Polling Stations are open from 7am to 10pm on polling day. They can get busy, particularly towards the end of the day. If there is a queue, residents will still be able to vote, if they joined the queue before 10pm.

If residents are not able to vote in person, there is still time to appoint someone to vote in their place. This is known as a proxy vote and the deadline to is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

For further information on elections, go to www.fareham.gov.uk/elections or email elections@fareham.gov.uk.