By law, every polling station must display a large print copy of the ballot paper for reference. They must also provide a reference copy for you to take into the booth with you. You can use the large print copy to read all the information on the ballot form, but you must still cast your vote on a standard print ballot paper.
Voting and elections: what you need to know
A hand dropping a folded ballot into a ballot box.
All voters have a right to vote independently and in secret, and local authorities have to ensure that polling stations are accessible to people with sight loss.
On Thursday 7 May 2026 there are local council and mayoral elections in many parts of England, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.
On this page
Important dates and deadlines ahead of Thursday 7 May elections
- The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April 2026.
- The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.
- The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.
- The deadline to apply for free voter ID is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.
- Polling day is Thursday 7 May – polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm. Find out where your polling station is.
Voter ID
As a result of the Elections Act 2022, voters are required to bring photo ID to polling stations in order to vote.
There is a list of accepted forms of photo ID on the Electoral Commission website.
For voters who don’t have any photo ID, there are currently three options. You can either apply for a free voter ID certificate, known as the Voter Authority Certificate; you can apply for a postal vote (where photo ID isn’t a requirement); or you can apply for a proxy vote (where again photo ID isn’t a requirement).
You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate at any time. They’re not specific to a particular election and don’t technically expire.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for the elections this May is 5pm on Wednesday 28 April.
How to request a reasonable adjustment
You have a right to request a reasonable adjustment to vote in these elections. We encourage you to write to your local Returning Officer or local electoral services as soon as possible to notify them that you require reasonable adjustments in order to vote independently. RNIB research shows that the best solution currently available is the combined audio-tactile device – the McGonagle Reader. There are also other audio and tactile solutions that you can request.
You can telephone, write or email your local Returning Officer, or preferably your local authority’s electoral services department, to notify them that you require reasonable adjustments in order to vote independently.
Use our template letter to request an audio-tactile device adjustment.
Accessibility on election day
Following the Elections Act 2022, Returning Officers – officials who oversee elections – are now required to make provisions for disabled people to enable an independent and secret vote. Returning Officers must follow Electoral Commission accessibility guidance.
To support blind and partially sighted voters, all polling stations are required to have:
- a tactile voting device (TVD)
- a large print copy of the ballot paper for reference
- magnifiers
- additional lighting
- assistance from polling station staff to be guided to the voting booth and to mark your vote, if needed.
Returning Officers are also required to anticipate what is needed in their area and can provide additional equipment.
In RNIB’s view, it is essential that there is both audio and tactile provision available at every polling station to ensure blind and partially sighted people can vote independently and in secret.
However, if you need to use audio equipment, you’ll need to request this in advance because it’s not mandatory and not routinely available at polling stations.
Read more about the Electoral Commission guidance for Returning Officers.
Requesting party manifestos in alternative formats
If you’d like to receive any information from political parties in an alternative format, contact the political party directly. Political parties have a responsibility to provide accessible information.
More about accessible voting
If you have difficulty completing the standard print ballot paper, you can use a tactile voting device to help mark your vote in the correct place. Under the Electoral Commission guidance, each polling station is required to provide a tactile device for people with sight loss.
The tactile voting device has a sticky backing which attaches on top of your ballot paper. It has numbered lift-up flaps (the numbers are raised and in braille) directly over the boxes where you mark your vote.
You’ll need to use the large print ballot form, magnifiers or any audio provision to review the information on the ballot paper in order to vote using the TVD. The candidates are in alphabetical order. You’ll need to remember the number of the candidate you wish to vote for, then lift the flap with the same number and mark your cross (X) in the box.
You can then detach the tactile device and fold your ballot paper in half before posting it in the ballot box.
To know the order of the candidates on the ballot paper you can send a request to your local Returning Officer for audio provision. They may be able to provide a device that can read out the order of the candidates as listed on the ballot paper or share an audio file ahead of the elections with the list of candidates in the order they appear on the ballot paper.
The best solution currently available to enable blind and partially sighted people to vote independently is the audio-tactile device, the McGonagle Reader, which you can request from your local electoral services.
If you have difficulty using both the large print ballot paper and the tactile voting device, you can also request somebody to help you at the polling station. They can help guide you between the entrance, desk, polling booth and ballot box. They can also vote on your behalf if that’s your preference.
The person helping you could be one of the polling station staff or your own companion. Following changes introduced in the Elections Act, your companion can be anyone aged 18 or over. Your companion will be required to make a written declaration that you’ve asked for assistance.
If you’re registered to vote but will be unable to get to a polling station, you can appoint someone you trust to go to your polling station to vote on your behalf. This is called voting by proxy.
Unlike postal voting, you need to give a reason for your proxy vote. Explaining you find it difficult to get to the polling station because of your sight loss or another disability should suffice.
You'll need to register to vote by proxy at least six working days before the election by completing an application form (there are different application forms depending on your reason for requesting a proxy vote) and sending it back to your local electoral registration office. Unless you’re registered as blind, you’ll need someone to support your application (such as a GP or social worker).
You can call your local authority election services to get one of these forms.
You can apply to vote by post rather than going to a polling station.
If you registered to vote by post, you’ll be sent your ballot paper. You can cast your vote in your own home using your own magnifiers or equipment rather than going to your polling station.
You can also request assistance at home, including a tactile voting device, a large print ballot form for reference, and help with returning your completed ballot form.
