UK elections are safe and secure
That’s because levels of impersonation have always been extremely low. There were only 10 convictions between 2019 and 2023 out of the tens of millions of votes cast. One voter turned away is one too many, yet the scheme saw 16,000 voters turned away.
16,000 people turned away in one election, vs 10 convictions over 5 years.
Voting is safe and secure in Britain, and public confidence in the running of elections is the highest since 2012. According to the Electoral Commission’s latest tracker of public opinion, 80 percent of people are confident that elections are well run, 87 percent said voting in general is safe from fraud and abuse, and 90 percent that voting at the polling station is safe.
We need to be combatting the huge challenges that undermine our democracy, not putting up paywalls around polling stations.
An expensive distraction
It’s not just those without ID that will have to pay up. The last government’s own figures suggest the scheme will cost up to £180,000,000 extra a decade. A bill we all have to pick up.
A barrier to democracy – for some
Once of the reason so many people were turned away is that the government’s voter ID scheme is a mess. They promised it would be just like picking up a parcel, then decided not to accept ID cards you can use to pick up a parcel.
Strict voter ID rules disproportionately disadvantage people that are already having a tough time. Unlike in countries with a mandatory national ID cards, in the UK the richer you are, the more likely you will have ID. The last government 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.
Many citizens who can’t afford to go on foreign holidays don’t have passports, and those that can’t drive don’t have driving licences.
Government-commissioned research found that 2% of people don’t have any form of photo ID (including expired or unrecognisable) and 4% don’t have recognisable ID (roughly 2.1 million people) – making mandatory voter ID a barrier to many people exercising their right to vote.