How do you vote in the North East elections?
PAYou may not be aware, but on Thursday millions of people will be given the chance to head to the polls in the biggest election since the 2024 general election.
Voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives in their national parliaments while councillors will be selected across 136 local councils.
In north-east England, elections are taking place in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Hartlepool.
If the elections have caught you by surprise, or you still do not know who to vote for, you can use our tool to see who is standing in your area.
How do elections work?
Not all of the elections taking place in the North East are the same.
Those taking place in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, and South Tyneside are all-out elections, meaning every single seat in the council is up for grabs.
The all-out elections are taking place due to boundary changes, which were agreed by the Local Government Boundary Commission and come into force this time round.
In North Tyneside and Hartlepool, only a third of each council's seats are being contested.
But the practical process for voters remains the same - they just need to arrive at a voting booth with photo ID, select their favourite candidate, and pop their ballot paper in the box.
The winning candidates will then become councillors representing that specific area, known as a ward.
If one political party holds a majority of the seats, they will effectively run the council and be responsible for everything from bin collections to planning applications.
If you want to vote, you need to have been registered by 20 April.
You can check if you are by contacting your council's elections office.
What ID is needed?
Voters needs to show a form of photo ID at polling stations and more than 20 forms will be accepted, including:
- passports
- driving licences
- older or Disabled Person's bus passes
- Armed Forces Veteran Cards
The ID must be the original and cannot be a photocopy.
Votes across the North East are set to be counted on 8 May but will likely take all day due to the amount being cast.
But whatever the outcome, the North East's future is in voters hands.
