For the first time, voters throughout Hertfordshire will have to show photo ID at the ballot box.

All 10 boroughs and districts in the county are hosting elections on Thursday, May 4, with a vote taking place in most electoral wards.

Polling opens at 7am and ends at 10pm, and now the voter registration deadline has passed – on Monday, April 17 – poll cards will have landed on doormats across England.

These cards contain information about voters' wards and their assigned polling station.

The Electoral Commission has put together a list of accepted ID which residents can show when they reach their polling place.

These include passports, drivers' licences, blue badges, as well as some travel passes.

But not all photocards will be accepted.

Which Oyster photocards and travel passes can I use as voter ID?

London Freedom Passes and 60+ Oyster cards, which are open to London Borough residents, are valid photo ID at polling stations.

The older person's bus pass for people who reach state pension age in Hertfordshire, as well as the disabled person's bus pass, also feature on the Electoral Commission's list of valid cards.

But the 18+ Oyster card is not on the list.

This card is open to students who attend qualifying colleges and universities, and live in London during term-time – but may be registered to vote at their "home" address elsewhere.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities document reads: "The 18+ Oyster card does not have a suitably secure application process for it to be used as photographic identification at polling stations (unlike the 60+ Oyster card, which has more rigorous processes)."

Railcards which feature photographs are also not an accepted form of voter ID.

This is because they are "insufficiently secure", according to the government.

What else can I use as voter ID in the local elections 2023?

The full list of accepted forms of photo ID includes:

• Passports Commonwealth country
• Driving licences – issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or a European Economic Area state
• Blue badges
• Any ID bearing the PASS hologram (such as the CitizenCard or Milton Keynes All in 1)
• Biometric Immigration Document
• Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence ID)
• National ID card issued by an EEA state
• Electoral ID card issued in Northern Ireland
• Voter Authority Certificate
• Anonymous Elector's Document
• UK Government Older Person's Bus Pass
• UK Government Disabled Person's Bus Pass
• Oyster 60+ Card
• Freedom Pass
• Scottish National Entitlement Card
• 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Disabled Person's Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• Registered Blind SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland

What if I don't have an accepted form of voter ID?

Voters in this year's local elections without an accepted form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

The deadline to apply is 5pm on Tuesday, April 25, and the process can be completed on the Gov.uk website.

To apply, applicants need a recent, digital photo of themselves and a National Insurance number – or another way to prove their identity such as birth certificate or bank statement.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: "We cannot be complacent when it comes to ensuring our democracy remains secure.

"Photo identification has been used in Northern Ireland elections since 2003.

"The vast majority of people already have a form of acceptable identification.

"We're urging anyone who doesn't to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate as soon as possible and we expect more people to apply before the deadline.

"We're working closely with the sector to support the rollout and are funding the necessary equipment and staffing for the change in requirements."