Are you ready for this year’s elections?

It’s always best to be prepared! Check you’re on the electoral register to be able to vote in the local elections taking place in May.

In Blackburn with Darwen, elections are taking place on Thursday 7 May in every ward of the borough – with one seat up for election in each.

Now is the time to get ready, and that starts with registering to vote.

It’s quick and easy to register to vote at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

There’s lots more information about registering to vote at www.blackburn.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/register-vote.

If you’re unsure if you’re already registered, you can find out by contacting the Council’s Elections team:

• Email voting@blackburn.gov.uk
• Call 01254 585920

Denise Park, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Returning Officer for elections in the borough, said:

While Thursday 7 May might feel like a long way off, there are things you can do now to get ready for this year’s elections.

If you aren’t sure whether you’re already registered to vote, check now. As well as being able to have your say in local and national elections, being on the electoral register helps with things like credit checks.

If you can’t get to your polling station to vote in person on 7 May, there are other ways to use your vote.

Postal votes

Recent changes mean that postal voters must reapply for a postal vote every three years.

Anyone who originally applied for a postal vote before 31 October 2023, must now complete a new postal vote application. This is because postal vote requests are valid for a maximum of three years.

You can apply for a postal vote online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.

However, applications will still be accepted via a paper postal vote application form, for anyone who prefers this method.

The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.

If you already have a postal vote arrangement in place and your details have not changed, then you don’t need to do anything.

But if you’re unsure if you are registered for a postal vote, or can’t remember when you originally applied, you can check with us by emailing voting@blackburn.gov.uk.

Voter ID

Photographic ID was required at polling stations for the first time in May 2023.

At the last elections in Blackburn with Darwen in 2024, 99% of voters brought the correct form of photo ID to be able to vote.

Accepted forms of photo ID are:

• 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 driver’s licence issued by the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (including provisional)
• European Economic Area (EEA) photographic ID Card
• biometric immigration document
• an identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (PASS card)
• Blue Badge
• Oyster 60+ Card
• a concessionary travel pass funded by HM Government or local authority
• Disabled Person’s Bus Pass.

You will be able to use ID that has expired as long the photograph still looks like you, to prove your identity.

Anyone who doesn’t have one of these accepted forms of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, or VAC. You can make an application for a VAC on the Gov.uk website.

 

You can find lots more information about elections and voting in Blackburn with Darwen on the elections pages of the Council website.