On Thursday 4 May electors in Rutland will have their say at County and Parish elections on who represents them locally. 

Residents must be on the electoral register to be able to vote in May. Rutland County Council is urging those who are not registered at their current address to make sure they are registered before it is too late.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 17 April. It takes just five minutes to apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. 

This year residents in Rutland will be voting to select:

• councillors, who represent their local area and residents, and will help shape the future of their local area by making plans and taking decisions
• parish councillors, who make decisions on local issues affecting their parish and act as ambassadors for their community, keeping everyone aware of local needs and concerns

Mark Andrews, Returning Officer for Rutland County Council, said: "Local elections are an important opportunity to make your voice heard and have a say on who makes decisions about issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in Rutland. If you have recently turned 18 or moved home, it is particularly important to make sure you are correctly registered to vote. If you're in doubt, you can check with us by contacting us at [email protected] or calling 01572 720 954"

People can choose to vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 18 April, and for a proxy vote the deadline is 5pm on 25 April. 

Those intending to vote at polling stations in May will need to show photographic ID.

The requirement to show photo ID at the polling station, is a new requirement, introduced by the UK Government's Elections Act which was passed last year. 

One local Councillor has condemned this. Lib Dem Cllr, Ray Payne, said: "The UK Government has announced a plan to stop people voting in elections unless they can show Photo ID. This will have a very negative impact on voters from underrepresented and marginalised backgrounds. It is worrying, to say the least, that for example, Oyster travel cards for the over 60s will be acceptable but those for the over 18s will not. 

"Currently 3.5 million people do not have access to Photo ID and 11 million people do not have a Passport or Driving Licence. This policy is in fact the exact opposite to what the Government should be doing which is to help people to get involved in politics and to have their voices heard at the ballot box.Everyone deserves their right to vote regardless of whether they possess a form of photo ID or not. Voter fraud is simply not a big enough problem to justify disenfranchising millions of people!"

Read more here.

Alternatively, find out about the experience of one Rutland resident who had to apply for voter ID here.

A list of accepted forms of ID is available on the Electoral Commission's website. Those that do not have eligible ID can apply for free voter ID. 

To apply for the free ID, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, voters will need to provide a photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance number. 

Ailsa Irvine, Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance at the Electoral Commission, said: "If you're not registered by 17 April, you will not be able to vote this May. Registering to vote only takes five minutes and can be done online. 

"This year voters should also remember that they will need to bring photo ID to the polling station to be able to vote. Anyone that does not have an accepted form of ID can apply for free voter ID by 25 April."

For information about registration or voter ID please contact Rutland County Council's Election team by emailing [email protected] or call 01572 720 924.