As the old saying goes: “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold.”
This seems to be increasingly true with the outlook of national politics in the UK; whatever issue is brought up to cloud the waters during election season in the USA, the government in Westminster seems determined to pick it up and run with it.
This May’s elections will be the first time residents of the UK are going to be required to provide photo ID as proof of identity before casting their vote. Or, to be more accurate, the first time England will be required to provide it. Residents of Wales and Scotland won’t need photo ID in this May’s local elections, as the Welsh Government hasn’t put it forth as a requirement.
But we’re certainly not exempt from it, either; for any national elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, recall of MP petitions, and Parliamentary by-elections, residents of Wales will now be required to provide photo identification to be eligible to vote.
The common forms of photo ID are valid: UK photocard driving licenses, or the EU equivalent, a UK passport, PASS cards, Blue Badges, biometric residence permits, along with some others. For those who don’t have any valid photo ID, you can apply to the UK Government for a Voter Authority Certificate, which requires you to provide a recent digital photo and your National Insurance Number. Applications are made through the gov.uk website.
The question remains: why put this requirement in place?
The UK Government has said there’s a need for voter ID to combat voter fraud through impersonation. In the USA, where this allegation is more common, even in the tumultuous 2020 Presidential Election, repeated investigation by partisan and nonpartisan bodies found there to be almost no cases of voter fraud through impersonation. In the UK, reports show we have even less than that, proportionally. The Electoral Commission found that in the 2019 General Election there were: “595 cases of alleged electoral fraud.” The report further stated only a small number of those involved citizens voting; most involved election candidates breaching campaign rules.
Recent surveys suggest that there are approximately 2 million residents of the UK who are eligible to vote, but who don’t have any valid form of ID, the majority of whom are unaware they can send for a Voter Authority Certificate.
A report into these figures from The Guardian newspaper said this:
“Just 2.4% of the applications were from voters ages 75 or older, 505 in total, despite this demographic being the least likely to possess a driving license or passport – although several older people’s travel cards will be accepted. Only 1,237 people aged under 25 had applied. […] the government has decided that student cards and young people’s travel passes are not valid.”
Tory MP Lee Rowley, the Minister for Local Government, is unconcerned that a minority of those eligible have applied, saying: “Of that group a number will choose not to vote.”
Many have noted that the UK Government hasn’t broadcast these new requirements very loudly, and some allege that it’s an attempt from the Tory government to disenfranchise voters who don’t usually vote Tory.
No matter where your politics lie, you should know what you need to have at hand for casting your vote in the next General Election.
