As we've reported today, due to electoral law, the BBC and other media organisations do not report on any of the election campaigns from 06:00 on polling day until polls close at 22:00.

When voting ends we will bring you coverage through the night of the latest results and analysis.

For now we can report on things like voters taking their dogs to polling stations, so here's Baxter, Poppy and Doug.

Image source, William Rutherford/PA Wire

Image source, Ossian Auckland-Child

Image source, @Rugless_Douglas/Instagram

Image source, Reuters

Millions of people in England and Wales are eligible to vote after polling stations opened at 07:00 this morning.

But what can and can't you do when voting in person?

How do I find my polling station? If you are registered to vote, you'll be sent a polling card with your polling number and polling station details. You can find details of your local polling station online, external.

What time can I vote? Polling stations are open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST on election day for in person votes.

Will I need ID to vote? You have to produce valid photo ID in order to vote at polling stations in most UK elections., external

What if I can't turn up on the day? The deadlines to request a postal or proxy vote have passed but an emergency proxy vote, external can be requested in some cases.

Can I have help if I am disabled? Polling station staff can help you, or you can bring someone with you. In England, anyone over the age of 18 can help you cast your vote.

Image source, New Forest District Council

No woofs or barks at this polling station in Godshill in the New Forest in Hampshire.

Instead the eeyoring of a couple of donkeys greeted voters casting their ballot.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

As we’ve been reporting, a number of elections are taking place – mostly in England but with some in Wales.

Seats in 107 local councils in England are up for grabs as are positions in the London Assembly, which scrutinises the actions of the mayor.

Mayors will be elected in London and nine other "metro" areas across England. They will be chosen for the first time in the East Midlands, the North East, York and North Yorkshire.

That’s not all. People in England and Wales will also elect 37 police and crime commissioners (PCCs) – these help police forces function effectively but don’t directly run them.

And then there is the by-election in Blackpool South, where voters will choose a new MP.

Many local election results will come in overnight into Friday, with the mayoral and London Assembly votes being declared later.

Stay with us as we bring you more updates, analysis and hopefully more photos of dogs at polling booths.

As we've mentioned, Londoners are electing a mayor today, and mayoral elections are also taking place in nine "metro" areas across England.

The West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Tees Valley already have mayors.

For the first time, mayors will also be chosen in the East Midlands, the North East, and York and North Yorkshire.

Metro mayors set out plans to boost their local economy, and have some powers over housing and transport.

If you include the London mayor, they control about £25bn, covering 44% of the population in England.Voters will also choose the mayor of Salford, the directly-elected leader of the city council.

• All you need to know about the mayoral elections

Is it time for more dog photos? We think so. But why are we featuring so many pets in our live coverage today?

The simple answer is that on polling day the BBC does not report on any of the election campaigns from 06:00 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio or bbc.co.uk, or on social media and other channels.

If you want read more about how the BBC reports polling day, click here.

Image source, Anna Du-Mont

Image source, Seagulls&Sirens

Image source, Paul Garner

A Conservative MP says his dyspraxia caused him to misplace his photo ID, forcing him to arrange an emergency proxy vote, external for today's local elections.

Posting on X, external Tom Hunt, who represents Ipswich, writes: "I do tend to be bad at losing stuff. I’m also very dyspraxic. Though I don’t want to blame this on everything it does make things challenging for me and I do my best but I do lose things and today it was my passport".

Voters now have to provide ID to cast a ballot in local, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner polls.

People whose ID has been lost, stolen or damaged can apply for an emergency proxy vote until 5pm on polling day, allowing someone else to vote on their behalf.

Polling stations pop up in a variety of places; usually in a school, community centre or library.

However, some of us get to vote in some interesting locations. Here's a look at some pretty, and not so pretty, places to cast a vote.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

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People need to show photo ID at polling stations when they vote in the local elections today.

So what documents can you use as photo ID?

There are 22 acceptable forms of ID, external, including:

• passports
• driving licences
• Older or Disabled Person's bus passes
• Oyster 60+ cards

You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.

If you wear a face covering, such as a medical mask or a veil worn on religious grounds, you will be asked to remove it briefly, external so polling station staff can check your ID looks like you.

What happens if you cannot show valid ID at the polling station?

If you go to the polling station on Thursday 2 May without the correct ID, you will be asked to come back with valid documentation.

If you think your ID has been wrongly rejected, the Electoral Commission says you should notify the presiding officer at the polling station, external. If this does not resolve the issue, you can raise your concerns with your council's returning officer.

For more information on the rules, read our story here.

As explained in our earlier post, if you are registered to vote in the May local elections, you will have received a polling card with your polling number and polling station details.

But voters in one part of Ledbury in Herefordshire may want to double check which to head for as two of the stations are just metres apart.

Some residents will need to head to the swimming pool (to the left of the photo above) and others to the community hall just a few paces away (on the right).

Image source, Reuters

General elections have to take place no more than five years apart.

The latest a Parliament can be dissolved is on the fifth anniversary of the day it first met.

For the current Parliament, that is 17 December 2024.

However, 25 working days are then allowed to make practical arrangements.

That means the next election must take place by 28 January 2025.

But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could decide to hold it earlier than that.

In January 2024, he said his "working assumption" was that there would be an election in the second half of the year.

In March, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt suggested that the poll was pencilled in for October.

However, according to BBC Political Editor Chris Mason, there has been a lot of “excitable anticipation” in the run-up to the local elections that the general election might in fact take place in the summer.

Read more on who decides the date of the next general election here.

Image source, PA Media

Many local election results will be announced overnight into Friday 3 May, with more expected to follow throughout the day, and a few to be announced over the weekend.

Mayoral results will be declared on Friday and Saturday 4 May.

The London Assembly elections will also be declared on Saturday.

We will have full coverage through the night, so if you’re staying up with us - put the kettle on!

Lots of people have been sending pictures in to us here at BBC News. We've received more than 50 so far - here are few of our favourites:

Image source, Hugh Greenish

Image source, Carly Appleby

Polling station staff can assist you, or you can bring someone with you.

In England, anyone over the age of 18 can help you cast your vote in any election. They do not need to be eligible to vote.

In Wales, anyone over 16 who is eligible to vote can help you if you are voting for the Senedd, or in local elections, and 18 to vote in police and crime commissioner elections. For general elections, they must be over 18 but do not need to be able to vote themselves.

Polling stations should have large-print sample ballot papers, and tactile voting devices to help people with visual impairments.

You can take your phone into the polling booth to use magnifier or text-to-speech apps, or the phone torch to improve lighting. But you must not take any photos inside the polling station.

Image source, .

The polls are open and voting is under way in parts of England to elect councillors and mayors.

Police and crime commissioners will also be chosen across England and Wales.

But the elections being held differ across the country.

Click here where you can enter your postcode to find out who and what you can vote for in your area.

And when you go to vote don't forget your photo ID.

Harriet Heywood
BBC News, Cambridgeshire

Image source, Cambridge City Council

Early morning voters in Cambridge had the unique experience of voting from the back of a car.

After a problem getting into Milton Road Library in Cambridgeshire, a polling team member made a temporary voting station.

The polling station was used for the first voters who arrived to cast ballots after 07:00 BST, an hour later the library was open and fully operational.

Cambridge City Council praised the "great initiative".

A council spokesperson said: “Our elections staff are doing a fantastic job today coordinating the local elections at 39 different locations across the city, and have a variety of back-up plans in case of any incidents, to ensure Cambridge residents can cast their votes.

“At one of our polling stations this morning, Milton Road Library, there was a problem with door codes and contacting keyholders, so our staff showed great initiative and used one of their own cars.”

It is not the first time that a polling station has operated from a car boot.

In 2021, Oxford voters cast ballots from a parked car as a church warden reportedly overslept.

The deadlines to register to vote in the May elections, or to request a postal or proxy vote, have passed.

However, as long as you have already registered for the election, you can request an emergency proxy vote, external if last-minute work commitments or a medical emergency mean you cannot get to the polling station today.

You can also apply for an emergency proxy if your photo ID has been lost, stolen or damaged because it is too late to apply for a voter authority certificate to use instead.

To do that, contact the electoral services team at your local council. You can do this up to 17:00 BST on polling day.

If you have a postal vote it must be with your local council by 22:00 on 2 May.

You can return your ballot papers by post in advance or hand them into a polling station or your local council on the day before the polls close at 22:00.

The BBC, like other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are open for elections in England and Wales.

The BBC is required by electoral law to adopt a code of practice, ensuring fairness between candidates, and that is particularly important on polling day.

The code of practice is contained in more detailed election guidelines which are written and published for each election, and they include guidance about polling day.

On polling day, the BBC does not report on any of the election campaigns from 06:00 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio or bbc.co.uk, or on social media and other channels.

So while we wait for the polls to close, we'll continue to keep you posted on the rules of the elections and the voting process, with a few pictures of our four-legged friends.

Read more here.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

It's that time when #dogsatpollingstations fills our social media feeds, but if you're taking your four-legged friend along to the polling station here's some advice from the Blue Cross animal charity.

• Different polling stations have different rules about dogs on site so check ahead.
• Dogs, apart from assistance dogs, are not usually allowed inside.
• Don't leave your dog tied up outside alone, it could get stolen.
• Take someone with you who can stay with your pet while you vote.
• Don't take photos of dogs or selfies inside the polling station - you can read more about that on the Electoral Commission website., external

Image source, Holly Hyde

Black labrador Dax and Cookie the terrier went out to a polling station in Putney, London this morning.

This is Cookie's first visit to a polling station.

Dax however, is becoming a regular visitor having been bribed with a treat to pose for a picture in 2021.

And below, Cinna, an 8-year-old rescue dog from Greece, arrives with owners to the polling station at St Alban's Church, south London.

Image source, PA Media