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Britain’s election watchdog has warned of potential problems when a controversial voter ID system is introduced in next May’s local elections.
Ailsa Irvine, director of electoral administration at the Electoral Commission, told the FT that the organization was committed to supporting the implementation of voter ID. “But the timetable before next May’s election remains tight. The need must be delivered in a way that is accessible, safe and efficient,” she said.
“We have raised concerns with the UK Government that the delays we have seen to date, and the timetable for introduction, mean that these important considerations may not be fully completed when the new policy is implemented,” she added.
The Tory government first planned to introduce ID cards at the ballot box six years ago, insisting the move would restore “integrity” to the political system by combating voter fraud.
But critics argue that the crime of voter fraud is very rare, with only one conviction in 2017 and 2019, two of the busiest years for elections, including council and general elections.
Parliament passed the Elections Act 2022 in April, which stipulated that new voter ID rules should be implemented for the next set of elections in May 2023.
On Monday the government will introduce the necessary secondary legislation, called a “statutory instrument”, to work out the details of the reform. Unusually, SI would be debated on the floor of the House of Commons rather than the usual practice of several MPs meeting in the committee room.
Labor has pointed out that the chances of election fraud are lower than winning the lottery and warned that the policy threatens to prevent millions of people from exercising their democratic rights, although an estimated 3.5 million people do not have any form of photo. ID
Angela Rayner, the deputy Labor leader, said it was “outrageous” that the government was spending money to “disenfranchise” people when their priority should be the cost of life crises. “Not only is the Tory voter ID scheme completely ineffective, it’s unnecessary and set to put millions of people off the ballot,” she said.
The Election Commission is planning to conduct a massive public awareness campaign in the first half of next year. Acceptable forms of ID will include passports, driver’s licenses, biometric immigration documents and some concessionary travel passes.
A new voter document called a “Voter Authority Certificate” will be made available to people without any other form of identification, likely to be able to apply for it for free early next year.
The government said photo identification had been used in Northern Ireland elections since 2003. “We cannot be complacent when it comes to ensuring that our democracy remains safe.
“Everyone eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so and 98 percent of voters already have an accepted form of identification. . . We are working closely with the sector to support the rollout and fund the necessary equipment and staffing.”
John Ault, executive director of Democracy Volunteers, an NGO, recently issued a report warning of how the council is likely to struggle with the new regime.
The Cabinet Office found that 42 per cent of people without a photo ID are unlikely to apply for one: “This suggests that almost half of people without a photo ID do not want to apply for a voter card,” it admitted.
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