Local elections have seen multiple people turned away for not having the right photo ID. Could these challenges continue into the July 2024 elections?
Sarah Bond joined thousands at Marchmont Street polling station in London to vote for the 2024 United Kingdom local elections. While she faced no issues casting her ballot, her husband had spent most of the day believing he would not have the chance to.
“He doesn’t drive and we don’t travel much so he didn’t think he had any photo ID he could use, he wasn’t going to bother. We looked it up and it turns out you can still use an expired passport. This wasn’t publicised anywhere, and we have neighbours that aren’t voting for similar reasons.”
Many families across the UK faced similar challenges. The Byline Times held a survey for people with photo ID issues and shared with Count Magazine several anonymous comments. They noted voters arrived sporting PASS IDs, Work Permits, and veterans cards and all were turned away. Even an expired passport may not be accepted. They are only valid if the person’s appearance still matches the older photo, a judgement left to the subjective view of the polling manager.
These issues stem from a new policy introduced by the ruling conservative government in early 2023, stating that all voters must present specific photo identification. The list of valid IDs includes passports and driver’s licences, but notably various options for voters over 60 like bus and travel passes, with far less for younger demographics.
Former MP and director of the pressure group Unlock Democracy Tom Brake says that the policy is “discriminatory” noting that ethnic minorities and younger voters are more likely to not have suitable ID.
Those who have no ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, but Brake believes this is a “flimsy, easy-to-lose piece of paper” and won’t help those turned away on the day. He says the policy overall makes voting less accessible, adding more layers to what should be a simple process.
The given reason for the required Photo ID was to counteract voter fraud. In the 2022 UK local elections, however, the Electoral Commission found the crime was only committed seven alleged times at polling stations, all of which saw no police action.
When the law was first announced, opposition politicians like London Mayor Sadiq Khan quickly cried foul, saying “the Tories designed it to rig the next election”. They argue the policy disproportionately impacted groups who traditionally tend to vote for Labour while favouring older voters who tend to vote Conservative.
This was somewhat affirmed in a leaked memo published by The Times from Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, who was trying to convince the government to allow veterans IDs to be used in elections. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s special advisers rejected this, saying it could “open the floodgates” for students to be granted more IDs.
UCL Associate Lecturer Tom Barton who specialises in election turnout however says that if this is the case, the Conservative government may have shot themselves in the foot. From his findings, while many young people had ID issues, one of the main groups affected was older voters.
“Older people are less likely to have things like a passport and driver’s licence because they are less likely to travel. If they’re significantly older, they may not leave the house much or be in an old person’s home so they wouldn’t need a bus pass. They may also be more likely to forget their ID for voting since it hasn’t been required before.”
The Electoral Commission told Count Magazine the data for how many voters were turned away in the 2024 local elections for lacking proper ID will not be finalised until July. Barton however says these figures may not accurately show the effectiveness of the ID system. Voter engagement for local polls tends to be lower in general. Most who do vote tend to be more politically savvy and more likely to go out of their way to get the right ID.
He says by comparison, the upcoming UK general election in July, with a far higher turnout of voters, many likely believing they can simply turn up and place their ballot without issue, will be what shows how compromised the Photo ID could truly be and how many could get turned away.
Feature Image: Marchmont Street polling station in London. Photo credit: Kai Kong.
Tags: Civic Action, Conservative Party, Feature, London, UK, UK General Election 2024