Exclusive: 3.2% of those surveyed say they were turned away at least once, with minority ethnic people worse affected
More than 400,000 people may have been prevented from voting in the general election because they lacked the necessary ID, with those from minority ethnic communities more than twice as likely to have experienced this, polling has suggested.
Of those surveyed by More In Common, 3.2% said they were turned away at least once last Thursday, which if reflected across the UK would equate to more than 850,000 people. Of these, more than half said they either did not return or came back and were still unable to vote.
Among people turned away at least once, about a third had ID that was not on the relatively narrow list of permitted documents; about a quarter said the name on their ID was different to that on the electoral register; and 12% said they were told the picture on the ID did not match their appearance.
The poll of more than 2,000 people across Great Britain, coordinated by the campaign group Hope Not Hate, also indicated that the voter ID rules, used last week for the first time at a general election, disproportionately affected minority ethnic people.
It found that 6.5% of voters of colour were turned away from a polling booth at least once, compared with 2.5% of white voters.
The rule that voters must show photo ID was introduced by the Conservative government as part of its 2022 Elections Act, despite minimal evidence that in-person voter fraud was a significant problem.
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Another potential issue is people deciding not to vote, or even register to vote, because they know they lack ID. The polling found that 6% of people said the ID requirements had affected their decision on whether or not to vote and that they then did not vote, which if reflected nationally could mean up to 2.8 million people not voting when they might otherwise have done.
But the more logical answer is who is responsible for checking the identity when ID is created. All ID accepted is created by national or local government. Whereas student ID is created by universities or small colleges. With no government authority in the identification. It is hardly an equal comparison.
Honestly, the whole ID thing is crap. Its fixing an issue that doesn't exist. But it's hard to argue rejecting IDs not issued by government is an act of predudice.
It was very blatantly targeted against young voters. The government website has a list of accepted photo id here. One of the accepted id is 60+ oyster, however, oyster cards are also provided for students which isn't accepted for some reason?
But who is going to go through the process of obtaining a student ID just to commit voting fraud. Even if they are rotating the person checking the ID once an hour, eventually they will be recognised or get to a point where the person they are impersonating has already voted, all for what 10? 15? extra votes
In Northern Ireland we were always able to send a photocopy of a Student ID to the Electoral Office, they'd check with your school/college and send you a valid "Electoral card" back. Not sure if England had this system in place.
In Northern Ireland we were always able to send a photocopy of a Student ID to the Electoral Office, and have them send you a valid "Electoral card" back. Not sure if England had this system in place.
Can't you get a free ID specifically for voting? Northern Ireland has required ID for voting for ages, but it always basically offered a "Electoral card" which was a free ID you could get. It was my first photographic ID as well.
As a lifelong straight ticket liberal Democrat, I don't care what anyone says, Voter ID is important in every democracy, the fight shouldn't be about disallowing or getting rid of Voter ID but making it free and simple to obtain. Period. Not a fight we should be wasting another second or an once more political capitol about. Ridiculousness.
My understanding was that any tampering by people voting under different names was so ineffective in influencing an election that it’s barely worth trying, and stopping the people who don’t have ID would have a more significant effect.
If someone doesn’t have ID then they probably just don’t want it or would struggle with any system to obtain ID. They should still be allowed to vote.
and i disagree with you, if the process of obtaining said ID is free and simple, it's way past time coddling these people who either refuse or profess hardship, because in my estimation, everyone who votes should have identification
More than 400,000 people may have been prevented from voting in the general election because they lacked the necessary ID, with those from minority ethnic communities more than twice as likely to have experienced this, polling has suggested.
Before it was brought in, charities and campaigners said it was more likely to affect people from poorer or minority ethnic communities or those with disabilities, who were less likely to have the necessary ID.
People lacking the correct ID can apply for a free document called a voter authority certificate.
David Weaver, the chair of Operation Black Vote, said it was no surprise that minority ethnic people were disproportionately affected.
“These systematic barriers underscore a democracy that too often works against us rather than for us, highlighting the urgent need for large-scale constitutional reform,” he said.
Before the rule was brought in, Labour opposed the idea, arguing that it was not needed given the apparently tiny problem of voter impersonation.
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They had plenty of time to get ID. Your local council can provide one for free too.
I don't agree with the voter ID policy, but it's not the fault of the government if you can't be bothered to sort out ID or live under a rock and are unaware of the rule.
In American politics, conservatives have openly discussed these kinds of policies as a way to get younger people, and anyone generally less privileged, not to vote. The idea is to create extra friction. The more points of friction you can create, the more people overall will fail to vote, and stochastically, it is hoped, such policies will affect the more privileged to a lesser degree. Nothing in the Tory bag of tricks is new to me, the only surprise has been that it doesn't seem to work quite as well here.
These rules seem so weird for me. In the Netherlands you need to bring your photo ID to vote, but you also need it as a general requirement (you need to be able to show ID). The ID may be expired for at most five years, but you'll have to bring one.
You also need an ID for other stuff like opening a bank account, renting or buying vehicles, or going to specific football matches (I believe it's to enforce banning people who misbehave).
Why would people not have an ID like a passport, ID card or driver's license?