April 15, 2023 1.30 pm This story is over 19 months old

Hamish Falconer: Make sure you can vote by Monday, and what I’m running the Lincoln 10k for

New photo ID requirement for voting
Lincoln Labour candidate Hamish Falconer with ECHO food bank | Photo: Submitted

Did you know that the biggest change in voting in our lifetimes is happening on the 4th of May for the local elections?

The Conservatives have introduced a new requirement for photo identification for the first time in British history and polling suggests a majority of the public may not be aware so I wanted to highlight a few ways to make sure Lincolnite readers have all the information they need to vote: 

  • Firstly make sure you are registered: if you’ve moved since the last election it’s worth taking two minutes to make sure you’re on the electoral register: click here to do it before Monday at 12. 
  • Register to vote early by post: by far the easiest way to make sure your vote is counted is to do it by post and do it early. You have until Tuesday the 18th at 5pm to get your form in: it’s available to download here and you need to print it, sign it and email it to [email protected] 
  • If you don’t have the ID you need (check here) then you can apply for a FREE ‘Voter Authority Certificate’ here up until the 25th of April. 

Please don’t miss out: in my previous life as a diplomat I served in countries where people didn’t have any say at all and it’s a precious thing to make your voice heard. I’d like you to vote Labour, but however you vote, make sure you do!

While I’m not running in the local elections, I am running the Lincoln 10k on Sunday (along with some of the Lincolnite’s staff who are much faster …)

I’m raising money for ECHO, a local foodbank who provide a hot meal to more than fifty people every Sunday. They run entirely on volunteers, but they need a little money to rent space to operate from, so if you are able to donate to them, please do so here.

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