Londoners will be voting in the London Mayor and London Assembly election on Thursday, May 2.
There is a busy cast of 13 candidates on the ballot for the Mayor of London role, which has been held by Sadiq Khan since 2016.
Find out below who is eligible to vote in the mayoral elections, the ID you will need, and when and where to vote.
Who can vote in the mayoral elections?
To vote in the next Mayor of London and London Assembly elections, you must:
- be registered to vote;
- live in London;
- be at least 18 years old on the day of the elections;
- be a British citizen, a European Union citizen or a Commonwealth citizen who has or does not require leave to remain in the UK.
Being registered with the council for services and paying council tax does not automatically include someone on the electoral register and British citizens living overseas are not allowed to vote in the Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.
How to vote on election day
Polling stations will open on election day on May 2.
You can get information here on your local polling station and where you can cast your vote.
If you'd like to vote via postal vote, you can do so online. You can also download, print, and fill in the postal vote application form.
Once you have completed the form and signed it, you'll need to send it to the electoral services team at your borough council – find your borough’s electoral registration office here.
You'll receive your ballot papers and postal voting statement before polling day. Post these to your borough council by 10pm on polling day to be counted.
You can deliver it by hand on polling day. If you return your postal voting statement by hand, you will need to complete a short form, so be sure to allow time for this.
Will I need ID to vote in the London Mayor election?
Yes. If you want to vote in person at the polling station you will need to present an accepted form of photographic ID to prove your identity, even for proxy votes.
Valid forms of photo ID include a passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country, a driving licence, a blue badge, an Older Person’s Bus Pass, a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass, an Oyster 60+ Card and a Freedom Pass.
When was the deadline for registering to vote?
The deadline for Londoners to register to vote was Tuesday, April 16, to register to vote.
For postal votes, the deadline was 5pm on Wednesday, April 17, and for proxy votes the deadline was 5pm on Wednesday, April 24.
