Picture this: you’re heading to the polls to cast your vote, sporting your bus pass or railcard with a cheeky grin on your face, only to be turned away because your photo ID doesn’t meet the government’s new regulations. If you live in London, Wales or Northern Ireland, you’re golden. But for the rest of the UK, you’ll need an over-66 travel pass granted at state retirement age to gain entry to the voting booth. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, as Ms. Williamson puts it.
Why the new rules, you may ask? Well, the government claims that they’re all about keeping the elections on the up-and-up. Supporters of the change point to isolated incidents of fraud, like the 2014 mayoral election in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, which was voided due to some dodgy, corrupt practices.
But let’s be real here: opponents of the new rules are raising a pretty valid concern that this could turn into a case of voter suppression. Younger voters, in particular, are less likely to have acceptable photo ID, while people with disabilities, the unemployed, and first-time voters may not have any photo ID at all. The government is trying to fix a rare problem, as there were only THREE convictions for personation at polling stations in the last eight years. That’s it. In Canada, Switzerland, and some American states that already require voter ID, there hasn’t been proof that it leads to lower turnout. But, hey, let’s shake things up regardless!
Unfortunately, while the government was making up its mind about all of this, it left many election officials spinning their wheels with unclear guidelines. The details of the new voting requirements were only finalized last December, leaving just a few months before the local elections for authorities and officials to get their heads around it all. It’s safe to say that this hasn’t been the smoothest transition, leading many people to be understandably frustrated.
A recent poll by the Electoral Commission shows that 37% of voters don’t think they need ID at all, and 4% don’t have the appropriate photo ID. That might sound like a low percentage, but in numbers that’s around 2 million voters. If you’re one of those voters, don’t worry – you can apply for a free “voter authority certificate.” Sadly, only 60,000 people have applied so far, and the deadline is April 25th. It’s a bumpy ride for everyone in the democracy game.
All in all, this new rule might not even have the impact that the government intended, and could even discourage people from coming out to vote in the future. The bottom line is, trust in the system is everything, and this move might not have done anything to help that cause. Mr. Westwood, from the Electoral Commission, puts it best: “Confidence is always going to be central to our role and is a key indicator around elections. It’s incredibly hard to build it up. And it’s very easy for it to be lost.” Don’t make us lose faith in the system – we need all the optimism we can muster these days!
Serious News: economist
