Queensland is about to conduct an experiment with electoral democracy. The Newman government has legislated to make voters present identification at polling places.

However, evidence reveals that voter ID at the polls is unwarranted and unnecessary. Electors already have their identity witnessed when they enrol. Australia has a well-managed and well resourced electoral system. Lists of voters are constantly cleansed, as information from government agencies is used to remove people as they die or move address.

The votes of tens of thousands of vulnerable people are threatened by voter ID requirements. Those most at risk are elderly and young voters, people in remote rural regions, indigenous people and the homeless.

In the US, where 34 states have passed similar laws, voter ID laws have produced more problems than expected. Even the judge who once wrote the lead judgment defending Indiana’s photographic ID laws now says he got it wrong. In hindsight, he says that voter ID laws suppress the vote and don’t prevent fraud.

To the Queensland government’s credit, it says it won’t insist on photographic ID. You will however need to carry a passport, drivers licence, utility bill, official medical card or a letter from the Electoral Commission of Queensland.