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Final reminder issued to Greater Manchester voters ahead of General Election

All polling stations across the UK will be open from 7am to 10pm tomorrow.

Emily Sergeant - 3rd July 2024

Final reminders have been issued to voters across Greater Manchester ahead of tomorrow’s General Election.

With less than 24 hours to go now until polls up and down the country open for what could be a historic moment in British political history, the 2024 General Election, voters throughout the region are being reminded of voting protocols and what they’ll need to take with them to their allocated polling station tomorrow (4 July).

Councils throughout Greater Manchester are reminded voters of both polling day and postal voting arrangements.

All polling stations across the UK will be open from 7am to 10pm tomorrow.

Final reminders have been issued to Greater Manchester voters ahead of the General Election / Credit: gov.uk

Under national rules, all voters will have to have approved photo ID, such as UK, EU, or Commonwealth passports, a photocard driving licence, a Voter Authority Certificate, or other specified forms of ID, in order to be able to vote.

Accepted ID can still be used for voting even if it has expired, as long the photo is still a good likeness of the voter, and a full list of accepted ID can be found on the Government‘s website here.

Most polling stations across Greater Manchester will have privacy screens available as standard for anyone who wants to show their ID in private, for whatever reason they may wish to do so, and Manchester City Council, in particular, has assured voters that its polling day staff are “trained to handle such requests discreetly and with courtesy”.

People who have requested and received postal votes are being encouraged to complete and return them as soon as possible.

When you vote on Thursday 4th July, don’t forget your ID. See the full list of accepted IDs here: https://t.co/yfQQHhZrdH #GeneralElection pic.twitter.com/7XxMwcqUqY
— GOV.UK (@GOVUK) July 2, 2024

If you are a postal voter, but are unable to post the completed postal ballot yourself, then you should only ask someone you know and trust to post them, as it’s a criminal offence for candidates or political campaigners to handle the postal vote of anyone who is not a close relative, or someone who they provide care for.

Although it may seem a little close to the wire, postal votes can actually still be posted back on polling day itself.

Royal Mail will carry out a final sweep of post boxes and deliver all postal votes to elections staff tomorrow, as long as they are posted before the final collection time for that particular postbox – but if they are posted after the final collection time, they won’t arrive in time to be counted.

You will need to bring photo ID to vote at all UK polling stations / Credit: Electoral Commission (via gov.uk)

Electors can also hand in completed postal ballots to any polling station in the Manchester City Council area, or at the Customer Service Centre in the town hall extension building, between 9am and 5pm up to and including polling day.

Anyone handing in a postal ballot pack will be provided with a form which must be completed to ensure the pack is accepted.

This is likely to be the case for most other Greater Manchester boroughs too, but voters are advised to check what applies to them in their parliamentary constituency.

Featured Image – gov.uk