UK pressure group urges ministers to scrap mandatory ID for voting
A pressure group has called on the UK government to scrap mandatory identification for those voting in person as it reported “a significant number” of people being excluded from Thursday’s local polls in England.
Under the Elections Act 2022, UK voters are legally obliged to provide photo ID before casting a ballot, in line with a system in place in Northern Ireland since 2007.
“We know lots of people contacted their local council about this and were told this was the guidance,” he said. “And we know many people said if that was the case then they weren’t even going to go to the polling station as they don’t want to risk it.”
The Electoral Commission, the polling watchdog, said it would take weeks to work out the impact of the new law on voting numbers.
“We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result,” it said. “It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice.”
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Jim Pickard
