A row broke out over the Government’s 'rushed and ill-conceived' new law requiring voters to show proof of ID at South Gloucestershire’s local elections in May. Residents will have to show an accepted form of identification for the first time when they go to the polls and face being barred if they do not have one.
Opposition Lib Dem Cllr Tristan Clark told a council meeting that more than 8,000 people in the district were thought to lack the required ID and could be 'disenfranchised'. But South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member Conservative Cllr Ben Burton insisted that the changes in last year’s Elections Act had been 'well considered' and that the list of accepted identification was 'incredibly long'.
Frampton Cotterell ward Cllr Clark told a full council meeting: “The number of voters who lack an accepted form of ID in South Gloucestershire could under the Cabinet Office’s own assessment exceed 8,000 people. Will polling station staff be recording the number of people they turn away for lacking the requisite form of ID so that proper analysis of the residents disenfranchised by this rushed and ill-conceived legislation can occur?”
Read more: Voters in South Gloucestershire will need to show ID at upcoming council elections
Cabinet member for corporate resources and Frenchay & Downend ward Cllr Burton replied at the South Gloucestershire Council meeting on Wednesday, February 15: “I’ll follow up with democratic services whether they will be recording the amount of people turned away. However I do not agree it has been rushed.
“You only have to look at the example in 2018 where the evidence of Swindon Borough Council trialled this and the Electoral Commission carried out a robust and comprehensive review of the number of people voting. In that instance it did not cause a significant change in voting habits and actually turnout was higher than the previous election in 2016, so I cannot agree that it has been rushed and ill-conceived.
“It has been well considered and the requisite protections put in place. The arrangements are in place to ensure that the democratic process remains secure and that voting will hopefully remain high.
“The actual list of acceptable forms of ID is incredibly long. We are talking passports, driving licence, biometric immigration document, identity cards, MOD ID, blue badge, national identity, old person’s bus card, Oyster card, freedom passes and a whole host more.
“So actually the chances of someone not having those is relatively small and we will make the arrangements where we are able to support those who do not have an acceptable form of ID.” The full list of accepted ID required for local and general elections can be found here.
Residents who do not have one of these can apply for a voter authority certificate via the government portal here. Cllr Burton said 56 people in the district had applied for a certificate up to February 9.
Research by the Electoral Commission shows voters less likely to have an accepted form of ID are over-85s, people with disabilities, trans people and homeless people. The deadline to register to vote for South Gloucestershire’s local elections is April 17 and the deadline for applying for a postal vote is the following day, while the cut-off for both a proxy vote and for free ID is April 25.
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