People wearing masks when voting in person during elections may be asked by the election staff to remove their masks for an identity check. Taking your mask off exposes you to a higher risk of catching Covid, especially as there will be no Covid precautions in polling stations.
If you refuse to remove your mask when requested, it is likely that the election staff will not issue a ballot slip as you will not have passed the new identity check for elections. This means you will not be able to vote.
It is not yet certain how many polling stations will request people to remove their masks – BuDS is making urgent enquiries of the Electoral Commission. However, it is safer for you to assume that you will be asked to remove your mask if voting in person.
If you do not wish to be exposed to a higher risk of catching Covid by removing your mask in this way, BuDS recommends the following:
- Apply for a proxy vote. This means that someone else can visit the polling station and vote on your behalf. You must get your application form to your local council by Wednesday 26 April. You can find out more about proxy voting, and download the application form, here.
- If you are disabled or clinically vulnerable to Covid-19, ask the election staff to do your ID check outside, where the Covid risk is much less. You can ask them to do this as a ‘reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010’ if they are reluctant to do so.
It is now too late to apply for a postal vote. If you’ve already applied for a postal vote, you can contact your council to check if it still valid. Most people apply for a permanent postal vote, but it is possible that you applied for a temporary postal vote.
IMPORTANT: the information on this page only relates to England. Local elections are not being held in every area of England – click here to find out if there is an election in your area.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available. The original page was published on 17 April, and updated on 19 April.