Richard M. Hughes, Cowes: 

With a general election only weeks away, and two MPs to elect, now would be the time to make sure that you have photo ID if you mean to turn up at a polling station and vote.

There's a long list of documents you can use (with some surprising exceptions!) but failing those please remember that you can apply to County Hall for a Voter Authority Certificate, which is a sheet of paper with your picture and name, showing that you're entitled to vote in person.

I applied for one of these - a VAC for short - and found it pretty straightforward, with the team at County Hall helpful and informative.

There was one wrinkle: the government system used in the background was unable to handle my National Insurance number, despite the fact that they are paying me a pension using it, so I had to go back with copies of other documents - bank statements and the like.



You can get the form that you need from County Hall, from the Electoral Commission, or from the Government website, and you'll need a passport-type photo that looks like you, and a black pen.

It goes back to County Hall. You can drop it in by hand if time's short, but why wait - there's a deadline. Start today!

Best of electoral luck to everyone.