More tory trickery for the local elections?

Whitewavemark2

I can remember when we didn’t need this to travel around Europe, let alone vote

I never left this country on either a ferry to go across the channel, or on a plane to go to Europe, without showing my passport, and showing it again upon arrival on a plane, and then showing it again in order to embark the ferry in France to travel home. We always needed our passports and we were advised to carry them in some countries in Europe all the time. That was presumably because we British did not have an ID card which some countries insist their citizens carry at all times. We also had to show our passports at hotels in Europe when we checked in. So of course we needed our passports or travel in Europe. To say otherwise is disingenuous. Free travel meant visa free travel, not travel without identification.

maddyone

Whitewavemark2

I can remember when we didn’t need this to travel around Europe, let alone vote

I never left this country on either a ferry to go across the channel, or on a plane to go to Europe, without showing my passport, and showing it again upon arrival on a plane, and then showing it again in order to embark the ferry in France to travel home. We always needed our passports and we were advised to carry them in some countries in Europe all the time. That was presumably because we British did not have an ID card which some countries insist their citizens carry at all times. We also had to show our passports at hotels in Europe when we checked in. So of course we needed our passports or travel in Europe. To say otherwise is disingenuous. Free travel meant visa free travel, not travel without identification.

Exactly maddyone 👍

travel around Europe was seamless

No. It was not! After getting off a plane a passport had to be shown in order to enter the European country of destination. Always, without fail. All the time we were in the EU. But you did not need a visa.
If travelling by car, you need not need to stop at borders as you crossed from one country into another, but you you wouldn’t be in Europe at all if you had no passport!

My experience too, maddyone, but when I met Australian friends in France who were on their way to England,
they had to have other identification as well as a passport.

I took the trouble last night to check on the government website just what exactly would have been acceptable as voter ID. I was actually amazed at the number of documents that are acceptable. In addition to the obvious passports and driving licence, there was a list as long as my arm of the eligible documents. Many of them were different types of disability documents. There is no reason for a disabled person to not be able to vote as they will have these documents. My mother had one for me to use in the car when I took her out. The reason someone cited upthread about no ramp is absolutely nothing to do with voter ID. Of course there should be ramps, but nothing to do with ID and there of course, postal votes for those unable to travel to or access the voting station.
It has been reported today that the majority of those who presented without ID were older people, not as has often been suggested, the younger demographic. This does not surprise me as many will no longer have a passport nor a driving license. However, on the list of acceptable ID is a bus pass. Most older people will have one of these. Also acceptable was an Oyster card apparently, according to the list.

Ronib and others it just isn't that simple for many "just ask local council" " instructions were clear".

Ask who, where? Try phoning - can't get hold os someone easily...
I had a long wait at the chemist so did a lot of googling to find out what actually happened over the country.

Elderly voters turned away in tears because they hadn't managed to get it right - immunodeficiency people wearing a mask at all times refused because they could not lower their mask and their face be fully seen.

What seems to some to be straightforward and "why don't they do this or that" is ignoring realities of what has just happened: an ill conceived scheme hastily bought in that has disenfranchised many.

Its official - "An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.”"

(from "I" newspaper)

Wyllow3 a postal vote is easy.

ronib

Wyllow3 a postal vote is easy.

Ditto 👍

Its clearly easy for you, and I didn't find it difficult, but its also clear it's not easy for many people, other wise we wouldn't be getting the reported problems. Can you not see not everyone is "on the ball" as you are? Understand difficulties?

Actually admit something is actually not working for all, instead of repeating,

"but I found it easy"

Wyllow3 don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers.

Wyllow3

Its official - "An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.”"

(from "I" newspaper)

It will be important to know how many people wouldn’t have bothered anyway, just as their normal practice. Equally interesting to know who didn’t vote as they usually don’t, but now use the “I couldn’t get ID” as an excuse for not bothering.

ronib

Wyllow3 don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers.

Naturally, when its an opinion column.

However are you not happy with the exact words of an official from that department?

You should know better than ask that Wyllow3

I think there is so much doubt in the value of voting these days that a lot of people often, "decide on the day" or a little before.
Goodness knows we need to stop the tide of,

*I don't bother they are all the sames"
and the "whats the point they'll never help me's"

and it seems that we are making things worse - and quite unnecessarily. I really want to see the turnout level the test elections and yes of course including as much information on how the recent measures might have affected matters, for these low voting turnouts are a true threat to our democracy:

.............However this botched up measure has failed to stop the landslides.

ronib

You should know better than ask that Wyllow3

Honestly had no idea Ronib.

I haven't watched much of it, busy this morning and we have thunder and lightning here this afternoon so have unplugged the telly.

What was the general turnout? Low, higher than usual or about average for local elections in Engand?

The figures aren't available yet, I checked 30 mins ago. I expect we will find out when all the results are in. In some ways that's as important as results.

Once we have constant figures under 30% it gets quite scary as to the future of our country, the non participation and lack of interest especially the young.

A lot of us grew up knowing that women had relatively recently got the vote, that it wasn't so far in the past that only property owning men could vote, and that it mattered very much indeed, and that it was a matter of pride we lived in a democracy and "had a say":

but when this belief slips, and conspiracy theories abound on social media, its truly worrying.

We can talk, again, all day long about whether we should have official photo ID in the UK or not, fair enough.

But what has happened here is very underhand and dishonest, almost at the last minute- with the very clear intention to disenfranchise non Tory voters. Undeniable, and so so wrong.

I thought it was a boo boo by a local Party.

So not a good reason to vote for them in that constituency!

with the very clear intention to disenfranchise non Tory voters.

Please explain how it only disenfranchises non-Tory voters, but leaves Tory voters untouched.
Is it only Tory voters who are bright enough or young enough to read the list of acceptableID and get acceptable ID if they didn’t have it?
Are you saying Labour/Lib Dem/Green voters are lacking the ability to get the necessary ID?

Sorry , forgot to add
It didn’t work anyway.

Fleurpepper

We can talk, again, all day long about whether we should have official photo ID in the UK or not, fair enough.

But what has happened here is very underhand and dishonest, almost at the last minute- with the very clear intention to disenfranchise non Tory voters. Undeniable, and so so wrong.

It wasn’t almost at the last minute it has been known since the bill got through parliament in April 2022.

GrannyGravy13

Fleurpepper

We can talk, again, all day long about whether we should have official photo ID in the UK or not, fair enough.

But what has happened here is very underhand and dishonest, almost at the last minute- with the very clear intention to disenfranchise non Tory voters. Undeniable, and so so wrong.

It wasn’t almost at the last minute it has been known since the bill got through parliament in April 2022.

There has been a lot of publicity about it too.

If a person is completely unaware of this, are they equally unaware of other current affairs?

Good question Callistemon! I suspect the answer is "yes".