Voter ID: General election could face serious disruption – survey
A local government think-tank has suggested the rules on voter ID could cause “serious disruption” to the general election.
Next year will mark the first general election where all voters will have to show a form of voter photo ID.
The government claims Voter ID helps crack down on potential voter fraud.
But electoral administrators surveyed by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) warned they will not have enough staff to implement the new rules, without more funding.
England’s local May elections saw roughly 14,000 people unable to vote as they didn’t have valid ID. Electoral Commission research found 90% of voters at May’s election were “satisfied with the process of voting”.
The Electoral Commission says the true figure is likely higher some who want to vote at polling stations might have turned away after reading the ID requirements – without being formally recorded.
‘Remove barriers’
In a report due on Wednesday, the commission called on the government to expand the list of accepted ID documents to “remove barriers” to voting.
The watchdog found ethnic minorities and the unemployed are more likely to be turned away.
The government says it is still “learning lessons” from the May rollout of voter ID.