Identification to be shown in five areas in local elections next May in first pilot schemes, but critics fear it will cut turnout

Voters in five local authorities will need to show ID before they can vote in local elections next May, in a move aimed at combating voter fraud but which Labour and the Liberal Democrats have warned could disenfranchise thousands of people.

Voters in Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Watford and Slough will be asked to show ID at polling stations before being issued with a ballot paper, but the five local authorities are likely to trial a variety of systems, including showing photo ID or providing polling cards where individual barcodes could be scanned.

The Cabinet Office and Electoral Commission said details were still being finalised of what photo ID would be required, as well as a system involving non-photo ID, but both would be trialled to see which was more effective and efficient.

The move towards voter ID, which was pledged in the Conservative manifesto, has been recommended by the Electoral Commission since 2014, as well as in a report into electoral fraud by former Conservative cabinet minister Eric Pickles in the wake of an election malpractice scandal in Tower Hamlets, east London.

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Reports of alleged electoral fraud through impersonation more than doubled between 2014 and 2016, according to the Electoral Commission, but other campaigners have voiced concerns that the scheme will be a barrier to voting.

The pressure group Electoral Reform Society has described the policy as “a sledgehammer to crack a nut” and said most instances of electoral fraud were isolated and could be tackled locally.

Labour’s shadow minister for voter engagement, Cat Smith, said although voter fraud was a serious crime, there was no evidence that any particular type of fraud was widespread.

“Introducing restrictive ID requirements risks making it harder for people to vote, reducing turnout and excluding some parts of the electorate, all while doing little to stop determined fraudsters,” she said.

“It is disappointing that rather than combating the real challenge of the millions missing out on their chance to vote, the Tories are creating further barriers to democratic engagement that will disproportionately target those on lower incomes.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The former mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman. Photograph: Mark Thomas/Rex Shutterstock

Lib Dem MP Tom Brake called the change “a completely unnecessary move that risks undermining our democracy by preventing millions of people from voting” and said there was widespread evidence it led to even lower turnouts from young voters and minority groups.

The trial in May next year is likely to be the first in a series of pilots to evaluate the impact of asking for ID on voter turnout, ahead of a national rollout.



Tower Hamlets, whose mayor, Lutfur Rahman, was removed from office and a poll declared void after he was found guilty of electoral fraud, will also pilot a new postal voting system, with tighter security and additional guidance provided in postal voting packs.

Chris Skidmore, a Cabinet Office minister, said the change was needed in order for people to have confidence in the democratic process. “The current situation of people simply pointing out their name without having to prove who they are feels out of date when considering other safeguards to protect people’s identity,” he said.

“It is harder to take out a library book or collect a parcel at a post office than it is to vote in someone’s name. I am very hopeful that by taking a careful evidence-based approach in these pilots we will be able to roll out ID in polling stations at future elections.”

Voter ID has been a requirement in Northern Ireland since 1985.

The Electoral Commission’s chief executive, Claire Bassett, said the pilot was a “positive first step” towards implementing the organisation’s recommendations. Bassett said the commission would publish an independent, statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes, which would be published in the summer of 2018.