Voter ID Analysis

The following data shows the number of people who brought ID to the polling station for Preston City Council Local and Parish Elections on 4 May 2023.

• 99.1% of electors voting in Preston City Council polling stations brought photo ID that met newly introduced voter ID requirements. 
• 17,415 electors voted at our 88 polling stations on 4 May.  24 of those polling stations had additional Poll Clerks to greet and assist electors arriving at the station.
• At the end of polling day, 162 electors who tried to vote in a polling station were not given a ballot paper because they did not meet the new voter ID requirements - 0.9%.
• The figures also show that whilst 419 electors were initially turned away, 257 returned with acceptable ID and were able to vote. This means that 61.3% of those initially turned away returned and were issued with a ballot paper.

It is disappointing to turn away anyone from a polling station but it is essential that we comply with the new Photo ID requirements, and that anyone presenting their photo ID brings one of the accepted list of photo ID documents with them to vote. 

Anyone who doesn't have photo ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate at any time, you don't have to wait until the next election, as the ID is valid for 10 years.

A list of accepted photo ID and information on how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate are on our dedicated Voter ID page.

What was the overall turnout at the May 2023 election?

The overall turn out, including Postal Voters at the May 2023 Elections was 26.9%.  This is very similar to last year's Local Election turn out of 27.76%.

The results from the 4 May Preston City Council local elections are available on our Election Results - 4 May 2023 page.

The results from the Parish elections held on 4 May 2023 are available on our Parish Council Election Results page.

Electoral Commission Information

The Electoral Commission is collecting data from all local authorities across England who held elections on 4 May. They will publish an initial assessment of the Voter ID requirement in June and a full evaluation of the Local Elections in Autumn.