Local Elections: Hitchin voters reminded to take ID with them when casting their ballot

Voters in this week's local and PCC elections have been reminded they must bring photographic ID with them to the polling booth.

The deadline for those without a passport or driving licence to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate expire on April 24.

Those who have lost their photo ID, including a Voter Authority Certificate, can apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 5pm on polling day.

Local elections will take place on May 2 for all wards of North Herts District Council, Stevenage Borough Council, and most wards of St Albans City & District Council.

A third of seats on Broxbourne Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will also be up for grabs.

Four candidates are vying to take the reins as Hertfordshire's next Police and Crime Commissioner on May 2. 

They are Conservative Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Liberal Democrat Sean Prendergast, Labour's Tom Plater and the Green Party's Matt Fisher.

There are no women standing in this round of PCC elections, although tackling violence against women and girls has been cited as a priority among candidates.

The vote for police commissioners has traditionally had a low turnout.

For the first PCC election in 2012, just 14.1 per cent (119,158) of the electorate participated. In 2016 this increased to 28.1 per cent (237,303) and in 2021 this rose to 36.9 per cent (319,609).

There are no local elections for Hertfordshire County Council. The next county council election will be on Thursday 1 May 2025, for all 78 seats.