Deadline for voter ID cards

This will be the last full week of campaigning before the poll

Monday was the deadline to get voter identification cards for the Northern Ireland assembly election on 26 November.

Voters who do not have recognised photographic identification now require the identity card.

New election rules designed to stamp out fraud mean a medical card is no longer a valid form of identification for voting.

Acceptable forms of photo-id include a British, Irish or European passport, a driving licence or a Translink Senior Smartpass.

Voters who do not have any of these will require one of the new photo identification cards.

Monday was the last day to obtain one of these.

This will be the last full week of campaigning before the poll.

About 170,000 people in Northern Ireland will not be able to vote in the assembly election because they did not register, a report by the Electoral Commission is expected to show.

Another estimated 36,000 people who are on the register will not be able to vote on the day because they do not have proper photographic identity documents.

It is understood that the Electoral Commission report into the working of the Electoral Fraud Act will be published some time in December and it is expected to show that about 13% of eligible voters did not complete registration forms and will not have votes in the election.

Registration is down in all 18 constituencies. The old register, replaced in December 2002, had up to 96% of eligible voters, but it is now accepted that this was not accurate.

The Act was introduced to combat alleged electoral malpractice, including personation and the abuse of postal votes.