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Papers, please: Why the UK must think again before importing US-style voter ID to Britain

Voting is a key cornerstone of any democratic system. Just as important are the principles underpinning it: that every vote should be equal, and every vote should count. The US elections have brought these principles...

Posted 03 Nov 2020

A study found just 31 credible instances of impersonation out of more than one billion ballots

ERS in the Press – October 2020

This month has seen a renewed interest in proportional representation internationally. Willie Sullivan backed up the case for a fairer voting system in Canada, drawing on his experience in Scotland. “If you want a system...

Posted 29 Oct 2020

Ministers just vowed to plough ahead with a ‘dangerous’ change to elections

The ERS and groups representing elderly voters and BME communities are warning that mandatory voter ID risks pulling up the drawbridge to thousands of voters, after the government confirmed plans to impose the ‘show your...

Posted 02 Oct 2020

There was just one proven case of personation fraud in 2019

ERS in the Press – July 2020

Another Lords scandal, fighting for fair votes, and a spotlight on foreign interference: highlights from the ERS' campaigning in July.

Posted 10 Aug 2020

Has the Government misled Parliament over voter ID?

A series of Freedom of Information requests has revealed that Government departments do not know who will be hardest hit by mandatory voter ID plans - despite ministers repeatedly claiming that "the evidence shows there...

Posted 30 Jul 2020

Equality groups sound the alarm on ‘US-style voter suppression’ potentially coming to the UK

Equality organisations are warning that government plans to force all voters to show ID at the ballot box risk locking black and ethnic minority people out of democracy.

Posted 23 Jun 2020

The government’s case for mandatory voter ID has taken another big hit

Recently-published analysis has dealt another blow to the government’s case for mandatory voter ID.

Posted 26 May 2020

Voter ID checks threaten to suppress voter rights ‘on industrial scale’

The Windrush scandal showed what can happen when millions of people who lack ID are shut out by Government. But the announcement in the Queen’s Speech proposing mandatory voter ID checks means there’s a risk of repeating those...

Posted 15 Oct 2019

Five things we have learnt about England’s voter ID trials in May’s local elections

The ID trials, which followed an initial set of pilots last year, required voters in ten English local authorities (Braintree, Broxtowe, Craven, Derby, Mid-Sussex, North Kesteven, North West Leicestershire, Pendle, Watford and Woking) to present personal...

Posted 06 Aug 2019

ERS in the Press: July 2019

July was a busy month in Westminster before MPs headed off for the summer recess. Brexit and the Conservative leadership election dominated the headlines – and we found plenty of opportunities to keep reform of...

Posted 01 Aug 2019