Staff running local elections in May risk being “overwhelmed” by bureaucracy and complaints before and on polling day because of new rules requiring all voters to produce photo ID in order to cast their ballots.
The warning has been issued by the Local Government Association (LGA) amid rising concern that the requirements are too strict, and inadequate preparation has been done to inform voters that the rules have changed. Ministers say the move, piloted in several local authorities at previous local elections in England – though with lighter touch restrictions – is essential to root out extremely rare cases of voter fraud.
Critics of the reform, including the main opposition parties, estimate that the change will mean more than a million voters being “disenfranchised” because they don’t have photo ID such as a passport or driving licence, or find out too late to apply for a voter authority certificate (VAC), which will be accepted as a substitute.
Senior Labour figures have complained that the new system is rigged in favour of the Tories because it offers more ways for older voters to satisfy ID requirements, such as, in London, allowing over-60s Oyster cards to be used, while Oyster cards for younger people will not be permitted.
James Jamieson, a Conservative councillor and chairman of the Local Government Association, told the Observer: “Raising public awareness of these new requirements is crucial, and we remain concerned about the potential for electoral staff to be overwhelmed with enquiries and voter authority certificate applications when polling cards go out.
“Electoral administrators and returning officers also need urgent clarity and detailed guidance to implement any changes to the electoral process without risking access to the vote.”
Last week, the Liberal Democrats secured an urgent question in the House of Commons forcing the local government minister, Lee Rowley, to answer MPs’ concerns. This came after government data showed fewer than 21,000 people out of an estimated 2 million who will require VACs had applied for them. With just a few weeks to go before polling day on 4 May, only 505 people aged over 75 had applied, and fewer than 6% of applicants were aged under 25.
The Cabinet Office ran a number of Voter ID pilots in the 2018/19 local elections which it hailed as a success. But several of these used “light touch” ID requirements, such as requiring people to produce polling cards, which will not be permitted this time
Angela Eagle, a Labour MP and member of the party’s ruling national executive committee, accused the government of an attempt at voter suppression. It will be easier to collect a parcel from the post office than to vote, she said.
“In a society where there is no ID-card system, requiring voters to prove their identities to solve a non-existent problem and using a narrow range of documentation is deliberately designed to stop poorer voters accessing their democratic rights. Many tens of thousands of people are likely to be turned away from polling stations as a direct result of these changes. This is a blatant Tory attempt at voter suppression, and a direct and partisan attack on our democracy.
“It seems that the government is intent on making it harder for younger people to use their existing forms of photo ID at the polling station, Oyster cards, for example. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that this is because young people are least likely to vote Conservative.”
LGA officials are worried that many voters who are unaware of the changes might have to be turned away, and requests for VACs will flood in at the last minute, causing chaos.
There are also serious concerns about polling day itself as voters become angry when told they cannot vote.
Defending the new system in parliament, Rowley said the plans had been in the 2019 Tory election manifesto. He added: “We will not shirk our responsibilities to protect the integrity of the ballot box. According to government research, about 98% of the electorate already have an accepted voter ID, whether it is a passport, a driving licence or one of nearly 20 other eligible types of identification. That includes, for some, expired identification, in order to maximise participation.
“The reality is that the overwhelming majority of people already have what they need to fulfil this new protection at the ballot box. For those who do not, the government have made available a voter authority certificate, which can be applied for today. It is free of charge and can be issued to everyone who wants it in readiness for May.”
