UK Government Urges Voters to Check Their Photo ID Ahead of Local Elections

A member of the public goes to vote in the Chester by-election at the Festival Church polling station in Chester, England, on Dec. 1, 2022. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The UK government has reminded voters in England to check if they have the accepted photographic identification that will be required for next month’s local elections.

More than 8,000 council seats in England are up for grabs on May 4 across 230 local authorities, ranging from small rural areas to some of the largest towns and cities. Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield, and Middlesbrough.

Under the Elections Bill passed in April 2022, those turning up at polling stations will need to show a valid photo ID before being given a voting slip.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities said that the vast majority of voters will already own an accepted form of identification, which includes passports, driving licences, and travel passes for older people.

Those without accepted proof of their identity are being urged to apply for a voter authority certificate (VAC) before the April 25 deadline.

The free service has been set up specifically to allow people to vote in the English local elections, giving them a form of photo ID that will be recognised when arriving at polling stations.

Those applying need to supply a recent, digital photo of themselves along with their National Insurance number.

Applicants who do not have National Insurance details will need to provide alternative documents to prove their identity, such as a birth certificate, bank statement, or utility bill.

As of Wednesday, the number of people who had applied for a VAC was just under 70,000.

That figure falls far short of the government’s estimate that around 4 percent of the population, equating to 2.1 million people, are likely to not have a valid form of photo ID to comply with the law change.

Michael Gove, secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities, leaves BBC Broadcasting House, in London, on March 26, 2023. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “It’s vital you check now if you have the photo identification needed to vote in English local elections taking place in May.

“While the vast majority of voters already own an accepted form of identification, anyone who needs to can apply for a free voter authority certificate before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

“For more information please check your polling card and find more details online.”

Opposition

The voter ID rules apply to England as of the May 4 local elections and will come into force for UK general elections from October.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the rule change will help make sure voting is a “high-integrity process.”

Downing Street said the rules are aimed at preventing potential voter impersonation, rather than dealing with any widespread existing issue.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives a speech on education at London Screen Academy, in London, on April 17, 2023. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Media)

Much like in the USA, the issue has become a hot topic in the UK, with Labour calling the new ID requirement a discriminatory policy that will “disenfranchise millions of voters.”

Green Party peer Baroness Jones said the photo ID law change is a “disaster for democracy” and accused the government of perpetrating “voter fraud,” arguing that it will “prevent certain groups, particularly younger people, from voting.”

She made the comments after joining opposition MPs and campaigners to deliver a petition to Downing Street and a letter to the prime minister on Wednesday, calling on the government to “urgently scrap” the new compulsory rules for English elections.

But the prime minister’s official spokesman said only a “very small proportion” of young voters lack the necessary ID to cast their ballot.

Northern Ireland Precedent

Voter ID is not entirely a novelty for the UK, as it has been a requirement in Northern Ireland—a British province—for nearly 40 years.

Voter ID requirements were introduced in Northern Ireland after the 1983 general elections following concerns about the extent of voter fraud in the British province. Since 2003 photographic ID has been required.

According to a briefing paper for the House of Commons, “There has been no evidence that the ID requirements in Northern Ireland have affected turnout.”

Since 2014 the Electoral Commission has recommended that photo ID should be required in the rest of the UK.

Election Integrity

According to a database on voting rules worldwide compiled by the Crime Prevention Research Center, election integrity measures are widely accepted globally, and have often been adopted by countries after they’ve experienced fraud under looser voting regimes.

Of 47 nations surveyed in Europe, all except the UK have been requiring a government-issued photo voter ID to vote.

Some 74 percent of European countries entirely ban absentee voting for citizens who reside domestically. Another 6 percent limit it to those hospitalized or in the military, and they require third-party verification and a photo voter ID. Another 15 percent require a photo ID for absentee voting.

Similarly, government-issued photo IDs are required to vote by 33 nations in the 37-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which has considerable European overlap.

PA Media contributed to this report.