Campaigners call for an expansion of the voter ID list as electoral watchdog finds that around 16,000 people missed out on having their say at the General Election.
Analysis by the Electoral Commision found that 16,000 voters were turned away from polling stations for lacking the right ID and did not return. That is 0.08% of the total number of people who voted.
Further polling found that of those who did not vote, 4% said that it was because they lacked ID. This amounts to about 750,000 people denied a vote.
This was the first time all voters across the UK were required to show photographic ID at a General Election.
Best for Britain campaigned against voter ID legislation when the Elections Bill (2021-22) was going through Parliament and managed to get some of the worst bits removed like new joining campaign rules.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain said,
“Scenes of voters barred from the ballot, due to the unjustifiably arbitrary list of acceptable IDs, should offend everyone who believes in democracy.
“If the new Government won’t scrap the absurdity of photo ID, it must expand the current list to minimise barriers to voting and ensure every legitimate voter can exercise their democratic right to vote.”