The council has been shortlisted for an award after taking part in a Voter ID pilot scheme.

Watford Borough Council will be shortlisted for the Innovation Category at the LGC Awards 2019 for the polling platform used in the last local and mayoral elections.

The Innovation Award honours councils that re-think services to achieve better outcomes for citizens and communities at less cost.

Each poll card was security coded and scanned at the polling station to confirm the voter’s ID.

Most voters were able to securely vote with minimal difficulty, with many residents engaging with the pilot and bringing along their poll cards.

In the mayoral election 39.27 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote while 39.28 per cent voted in the ward elections.

Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “I’m pleased that so many residents responded positively to the pilot last year.

“The process we had in our last local elections resulted in increased turnout, greater confidence in the system and there was no evidence of any negative impact on certain groups.

“We are particularly keen to ensure that voter ID requirements have a positive impact on the election process.

“Over the next few months, we will be working closely with the community, to raise awareness of what identification is needed before voting.

“I’m proud that we’ve been nominated for this prestigious award.”

Watford is once again testing using poll cards with technology as a means of identification, while other local authorities will test different methods of ID.