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Photographic ID needed for next GE

(172 Posts)
newnanny Sun 13-Oct-19 13:59:40

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/10/12/voters-will-have-show-casting-ballot-prevent-electoral-fraud/

Boris is calling for photographic ID to be used at next GE to prevent fraudulent voting scams. Also a limit to amount of proxy votes a person can cast again to prevent voting scams. I think this is a very good idea. Any thoughts anyone?

SirChenjin Sun 13-Oct-19 16:49:15

Maybe he should insist on all there being photographic ID for all directors of companies involved in shady tax dealings up and down the UK so we all know who sits behind them? I suspect his cronies wouldn’t like it though.

LondonGranny Sun 13-Oct-19 17:03:09

I think this a cynical gimmick based on the same sort of system in the US. To discourage poorer voters. In the US ID is routinely turned down for trivial and deliberately obstuctive reasons.
There is a tiny amount of fraud with proxy & postal votes in the UK. More people have been disenfranchised in this country by not enough Presiding Officers and polling staff. I myself queued for a very long time and people behind me were turned away at 10pm a few elections ago (tempers frayed, believe me) and when voter ID was being trialled recently in the UK in a limited area 750 legitimate voters were turned away.

LondonGranny Sun 13-Oct-19 17:04:43

US voter suppression
www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/us/politics/voting-suppression-elections.html
UK voter suppression
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/22/about-750-people-denied-vote-id-trial-local-elections

Dottynan Sun 13-Oct-19 17:10:15

What a good idea.

boheminan Sun 13-Oct-19 17:11:22

Two votes less then as neither my partner or I have photograph evidence as we don't have an up to date passport or driving licence and will not be forced into getting them. It smacks of Big Brother to me.....

LondonGranny Sun 13-Oct-19 17:25:18

If they want to sort out voting, start with voters with disabilities.Too many people with disabilities find voting is full of obstacles. It's a shambles. www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-30920778

LondonGranny Sun 13-Oct-19 17:40:13

Worse than I thought sad
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/13/conservatives-accused-of-election-rigging-leaked-id-plans-voter-fraud

Hetty58 Sun 13-Oct-19 17:41:56

The only photo ID I have is my freedom pass - so I hope that's acceptable. I don't drive and I'd resent the huge cost of a passport if I only used it to vote. I agree with trisher and think it has more to do with discouraging certain people from voting.

Calendargirl Sun 13-Oct-19 17:44:20

Who votes online? I thought the only way we can vote in a GE or any election is in person at a polling station, or a postal vote which has been authorised beforehand. Never heard of anyone being able to vote online!?

MaizieD Sun 13-Oct-19 17:51:26

From the Electoral Commission

This is the year of the last General Election

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/our-views-and-research/our-research/electoral-fraud-data/2017-electoral-fraud-data

MaizieD Sun 13-Oct-19 18:22:38

In the 2017 general election there were close on 32 million votes cast.

From the EC site

"Headline figures from data on cases of alleged electoral fraud in 2017 are:

As of 31 January 2018, there has been one conviction which was in connection with an allegation of personation in polling stations.

Suspects in eight cases had accepted police cautions:

four were in relation to registration offences
two were personation when voting by post
one was a false statement on a nomination form
one was a return of election expenses."

How does this in any way at all justify ID for voting in person?

Firecracker123 Sun 13-Oct-19 18:48:13

About time in my opinion. I think everyone should have to carry photo ID. Obviously Labour and the lefties will protest par for the course.

MaizieD Sun 13-Oct-19 19:03:12

Why is it 'about time' Firecracker?

There is NO EVIDENCE that there is widespread voter fraud so why does the system have to be changed?

I've no objection to providing ID if it's necessary, but in this case it appears to be completely unnecessary.

kircubbin2000 Sun 13-Oct-19 19:04:36

When my daughter went to vote last time her vote had already been taken. Who knows how many others.

pinkquartz Sun 13-Oct-19 19:11:24

I no longer have a passport and I have never driven. I know other people the same. Especially older people who have also stopped driving or travelling.

Unless they accept a bus pass they will be excluding people. I think it is time for ID cards. Something I used to oppose but now see a need for.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 13-Oct-19 19:18:19

Hypocrisy from the left???

Firecracker123 Sun 13-Oct-19 19:31:29

Only people with something to hide would object to Photo ID.

SirChenjin Sun 13-Oct-19 19:32:41

Those with something to hide are doing it online or by post Firecracker

GrannyGravy13 Sun 13-Oct-19 19:35:54

Surchenjin which is why there have been multiple posts sighting that postal voting needs to be overhauled.

SirChenjin Sun 13-Oct-19 19:37:59

There have been - but they’re obviously not the posts I was referring to.

FlyingSolo Sun 13-Oct-19 19:48:27

Why do people keep talking about voting online? How is it possible to vote online?

MamaCaz Sun 13-Oct-19 19:52:08

Firecracker123
About time in my opinion. I think everyone should have to carry photo ID. Obviously Labour and the lefties will protest par for the course.

Have you even read the other posts? If you had, you would see why some people object in this instance, and it's because they simply don't have any photo ID, and as things stand at the moment, I presume that the only way most of them could get it right now would be to 'buy' a passport, even though they don't otherwise need one!

Personally, I have nothing against bringing in a national identity card of some sort, but it should be totally free.
There's no chance of that being introduced before the next General Election.

As for your latest ignorant remark about "lefties" - yawn!

boheminan Sun 13-Oct-19 19:53:40

I have nothing to hide, but I do object to having to renew my passport or driving license at an extortionate amount of money when I never travel abroad or drive. Not everyone, for whatever reason, has the called for 'evidence' at hand (and I'm not talking about 'the poor' here). If the photo ID required to vote was provided free by the government I (probably along with hundreds of others) certainly would not object.

crystaltipps Sun 13-Oct-19 19:54:39

I think it was Tories that objected to ID cards as it was too “European” and smacked of state intrusion. I’ve lived in Italy where everyone has to carry ID cards, and it’s just accepted, and of course you can use it instead of a passport for many countries.

aggie Sun 13-Oct-19 19:56:39

In Northern Ireland we need photographic I D to vote , have done for years