The scale of the impact that voter ID had on the recent general election has been laid bare today by a report from the Electoral Commission, which makes for concerning reading for those who care about the health of our democracy.
The report found that at least 16,000 people were turned away from polling stations for not having an accepted form of ID in the recent general election. Behind that figure are thousands of people who made the effort to participate in the election but were effectively barred from having their say on the future of their country.
For many, that will have been a deeply hurtful moment of exclusion in exercising their basic democratic rights.
The report acknowledges that some would-be voters would have been turned away by greeters before entering polling stations and therefore, not recorded in the official data. Additionally, the 16,000 recorded whilst being an official figure, relies on every voter turned away being recorded by polling staff.
The 16,000 figure is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg as it doesn’t capture people who simply stayed at home due to not having an acceptable form of ID. The Electoral Commission estimates that 750,000 people may not have an accepted form of ID.
Worrying disparities
The report also highlights concerning disparities in how voter ID impacts different groups of people, with lower levels of awareness of the requirements among younger people and people from ethnic minority communities.
The Electoral Commission conducted polling alongside its report that found 4% of non-voters gave voter ID as a reason they didn’t vote in the GE, however this rose to 10% when respondents were given voter ID as an option for not voting. That figure of 10% of non-voters choosing voter ID as the reason they didn’t vote is higher in the general election than it has been for past local elections where voters have also needed to show ID.
The Electoral Commission also touched on the take-up of Voter Authority Certificates (VACs) in the run-up to the general election. People without an accepted form of ID could apply for a VAC from their local authority, which would provide them with a piece of paper they could show instead of traditional ID.
The report found that take-up of VACs was far lower than the numbers of people estimated to need one. Considering the 210,000 applications that have been submitted since the start of the VAC scheme in 2023, an estimated 750,000 voters are still without the required ID. VAC applications were the lowest in the under 25s and over 65s groups.
People mustn’t be prevented from exercising a fundamental democratic right
We have long argued since the idea of voter ID was first proposed that it is damaging and disproportionate considering how low the levels of fraud have been at UK elections. It’s a solution in search of a problem.
However, the report found that voter ID has made little difference to how safe voters feel about the electoral process is, and notes voters had high confidence in the system before voter ID was even introduced.
At the heart of this issue is the fact that voting is a fundamental democratic right and even one person being prevented from casting a vote they’re entitled to is one too many.
Our concern is that voter ID is a damaging barrier that is contributing to people not being able to cast their vote and becoming democratically left behind. At a minimum, the government should drastically expand the types of accepted ID people can use to vote.
Ultimately, voter ID should be scrapped, and efforts should be now focused on removing barriers to voting, increasing turnout and improving participation in our democracy.
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