Next May we have our local elections, but things are changing and before casting our votes in person or by proxy at next year’s elections, it is likely that we will all have to prove who we are before being able to do so. Earlier this year the Elections Act 2022 was passed by the UK Parliament, which will require voters in Great Britain to show photo ID before being issued a ballot paper in polling stations at UK Parliamentary elections, local council elections and referendums in England and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales. This will also apply to a proxy voter, someone voting in person on someone’s behalf.
Voter ID is designed to prevent personation, the crime of pretending to be someone else when you vote and that voter ID will protect voters from having their vote stolen. The voter ID provisions are due to be in place for the May 2023 local elections in England and at any UK Parliamentary election held after that date. The types of ID to be allowed include passports, photographic driving licences, biometric immigration documents and some concessionary travel passes.
Free voter document
A new free voter document, voter authority certificate (VAC), is available for those without any other form of photographic ID. People are likely to be able to apply for these from January 2023.
Concerns over timetable
However, concerns have been raised by electoral administrators and the Electoral Commission, about the timetable for introduction of voter ID and the new VACS for local elections next May and are calling for the introduction of voter ID requirements to be delayed. But the government remains committed to delivering voter ID in time for the May 2023 elections.
Opposition
During the passage of the Elections Bill, opposition parties highlighted concerns that requiring photo ID might disenfranchise some voters. Cat Smith (Labour) said, “Concerns have been raised from across the House and from charities and campaigning organisations that disabled people, older people, younger people and people without the spare cash to buy that passport or driving licence are going to be disenfranchised.”
Brendan O’Hara (SNP) highlighted that the incidence of personation was low saying, “voter fraud at polling stations barely reaches the height of minuscule… We have to ask: what is the problem they are seeking to solve?”
During the Lords stages of the bill an amendment from Lord Willets (Conservative) was passed that extended the list of types of ID to other types of photo ID and non-photo ID. The amendment was overturned by the House of Commons. The government’s view was the types of ID listed were not sufficiently secure and might be prone to fraud.
Current requirements
People voting in polling stations in Great Britain currently do not normally need to present any form of ID before receiving a ballot paper. Why change the system if it works?
Since 2014, the Electoral Commission has recommended that ID should be required in Great Britain before voters are issued with a ballot paper. In August 2016 the then government anti-corruption champion, Lord Pickles, published a report on electoral fraud. It highlighted the trust-based nature of polling station voting and recommended that the government should consider voter ID. He suggested the government pilot various options before introducing a system nationwide.
Pilots were held in 2018 and 2019. The government declared them a success following its own evaluations and committed to introducing a voter ID scheme.
My thanks go to Guy Harris for raising this subject which I felt should be shared.
Image Credits: Rye News library .
Thank you for this article about the radical change to our voting system. As mentioned, the production of photo ID for voters will be introduced for the 2023 local elections. Already Rother officers are having training to get ready for this and are acutely aware of the huge challenges it presents for the voting public and for telling clerks in the polling stations.
On 13th December, Baroness Pinnock, a Lib Dem peer, moved that this legislation should not go ahead as follows: “This House declines to approve the draft Voter Identification Regulations 2022 as they will prevent legitimate electors from voting in elections and disproportionately affect disadvantaged groups”. Sadly Labour didn’t support this and the vote was lost.
And how many incidents of voter ID fraud have there been? One!
Excellent idea to have proof of identity for voting. Historically, it may not have been a problem in Rye, but it certainly is in other parts of our country. A small inconvenience I am prepared to put up with for a more transparent system of election across the nation.
Thanks for posting this, Nick. It’s probably the most important article posted in RN this year, and underlines the enormous value of local journalism.
In reply to Mr Williams, I’m happy to be able to completely allay your fears.
In 2021, I think there was one caution issued for electoral fraud out of about 46 Million British people registered to vote. It’s non-problem. But it has been estimated the Conservative Govt’s ‘solution’ to the non-problem will cost tax payers £120m to implement.
Moreover, the Govt has been advised by the Electoral Commission that the policy is unworkable by 2023, and is already placing an additional burden upon local govt.
However, though the fears are utterly illusory, the impact will be very real. It is likely to effectively disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of British people, and those most likely to lose their voice are the most marginalised in our society.
For instance, roughly 46% of black people in the UK don’t have a driving licence. How many will apply for a VAC certificate?
What about our young people… Do your kids have a driving licence? A valid passport?
In the last two years, how many of us have travelled abroad? Is your passport valid?
What if you’ve just put in a 12 hour shift as a nurse, or you’re a carer, or you’re working three jobs to survive? Are you going to go home and start filling forms?
The Electoral Reform Society state, “Research shows that more disadvantaged groups are less likely to have ID. The government’s own commissioned research found that those with severely limiting disabilities, the unemployed, people without qualifications, and those who had never voted before were all less likely to hold any form of photo ID.”
So one has to ask why the Conservative Govt wants to make it harder for minorities, the disabled and for the poorest and the youngest in our society to vote? I’ll let readers reach their own conclusions.
One estimate reckons two million people could be affected by this entirely unnecessary and regressive measure. And when I say, “affected”, to be clear, I mean placed back into the position in which they would have been before the 1832 Reform Act. Or, if you’re a woman, before 1918/1928. That is, you will be denied your right to vote. The right British men and women, campaigned, struggled, died for…
So, please make sure the rights you take for granted as a British citizen are not removed by stealth.
It’s no exaggeration to say the only meagre shield you and I have against absolute power is that bit of paper posted in the ballot box. Please don’t lose your right to vote.
Guy it wasn’t just women who were denied the vote till 1918. Before that any man who did not own property was denied the right to vote which meant all working class men had no vote till this time. Bearing in mind their numbers were much larger then this was a massive lack of democracy, especially as many men had fought for four years on their country’s behalf before they had the right to vote.
Talking of the disadvantaged, it is working class people who are least likely to have either a passport or driving licence (whatever ethnicity).
Absolutely. But the focus of the article is not 1832 but 2022. I mention the extension of the franchise during the 19th and 20th C only as shorthand to describe the trajectory of Britain’s democratic journey. A journey which has seen the expansion in civil, labour and democratic rights. The point of this discussion is to weigh whether that journey will continue on its positive course or will be threatened by the authoritarian tendencies which are beginning to pronounce themselves in the UK, US and elsewhere.
Democracy Guy, like accepting the democratic vote on brexit,whether the likes of the Lib dems like it or not,and if they get in power with a coalition with labour, will they try and renege on what all parties said at the time,whatever the result was, and overturn a majority vote, however narrow it was
Hi, John, and Merry Christmas.
Well the LibDem’s stance is pretty clear, unlike other parties. They’ve set out a pragmatic path toward eventual rejoining of the Single Market (not the EU), in order to try to remedy the difficulties engendered by the Conservative’s Hard Brexit and the antagonistic tone that has marked much of the Govt’s interaction since. Trade, farming, migration, non-Nato defence cooperation, seasonal labour shortages etc etc. – solving all these issues depends on us having decent relations with Europe. I don’t think that could be characterised as some ideological love-in, tbh. It’s simple pragmatism, which is what we need now, and personally, working toward rejoining the Single Market seems like a reasonable, modest and pretty sensible ambition. As far as rejoining the EU and setting the clock back to 2016 is concerned, it simply isn’t a reality, whether some people want it or not. We have to meet Art.49 criteria and Copenhagen criteria, plus convince the entire bloc we’re actually serious this time, as accession has to be unanimously agreed to by the EU.
So no matter one’s opinions of politicians or of the veracity of their manifestos I personally think there’s very little to fear for anybody who loses sleep over ‘getting Brexit un-done.’ That’s the past, for better or worse.
It seems to me the challenge for all of us now is not to refight the Brexit campaign but to work together to create a decent community and country for ourselves and our kids.
Firstly, I don’t understand what relevance Brexit has to do with this article? It’s about photo ID not Brexit! As for democracy, if Brexit is overturned, which it won’t be, it will be the will of the people.
There’s is no doubt that photo ID will exclude many of the poorer people in our society who don’t carry a driver’s licence or passport.
A sledge hammer to crack a nut
Reduce passport price to £10 ,therefore no need for any more I.D. cards or other checks.
Most of the youngsters all have mobile phones ,priced at this would be affordable I am sure.
But why should you have to pay to vote, James? Democracy isn’t supposed to have an entry fee.