Government Digital Service
UK government's digital transformation agency; operates the gov.uk Voter Authority Certificate dashboard.
Last refreshed: 26 April 2026
Is GDS's Voter Authority Certificate infrastructure processing enough applications to protect ballot access by 7 May?
Timeline for Government Digital Service
Mentioned in: VAC pace lags; FCA reviews Stack BTC
UK Local Elections 2026- What is the Government Digital Service?
- GDS is the UK Government's digital transformation agency, part of the Cabinet Office. It builds and operates GOV.UK and government citizen services, including the Voter Authority Certificate portal used ahead of the May 2026 elections.Source: Cabinet Office
- How do I apply for a Voter Authority Certificate before 7 May 2026?
- Applications for the free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) must be made via GOV.UK by 28 April 2026. The certificate allows voters without other accepted photo ID to vote in person on 7 May.Source: Electoral Commission
- How do I get a Voter Authority Certificate to vote without photo ID?
- Apply via the GOV.UK portal operated by the Government Digital Service. The deadline for the 7 May 2026 elections was 28 April 2026. The certificate is free.Source: Electoral Commission
Background
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the UK Government's digital transformation agency, responsible for building and operating the GOV.UK platform and citizen-facing services including identity verification, digital forms, and electoral tools. GDS sits within the Cabinet Office and works with departments to set cross-government digital standards.
In the context of the 2026 elections, GDS operates and maintains the Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) application portal on GOV.UK — the mechanism through which voters without other accepted photo ID can apply for a free certificate to vote in person. VAC applications ran at only 259-524 per day in the week before the 28 April deadline, a pace the Electoral Commission flagged as a risk to ballot access. Electoral Commission research published in February 2026 found that 55% of eligible voters in affected areas were unaware the certificate existed. GDS's VAC dashboard provides real-time application pace data used by the Commission and campaign groups to track uptake against the 2024 baseline of 22,749 certificates.
GDS's operational role in the VAC programme makes it a practical actor in determining how many voters can exercise their franchise under the voter photo ID requirement introduced after the 2022 Elections Act. Its dashboard infrastructure is referenced in Commission briefings as the primary performance monitoring tool for the scheme.