More tory trickery for the local elections?

Will there be anyone at the polling stations to check that voters without ID are let in? Apart from the officials themselves. If I was an official I'd let them in. apparently evidence is that voter fraud is miniscule.

Freya5

Mollygo

grandtanteJE65
If the leaflet shown on twitter - surely not the most reliable source, is genuine, someone has made a stupid mistake and needs to rectifiy it over the news fairly quickly.
It was genuine.
On the news, there were apologies and admissions of error and corrections fairly quickly.
I feel for the officials at the polling stations who, with or without this leaflet, will probably be faced with voters who have not heard about the requirement.
There ought to be huge posters outside, reminding people what they need, especially on this first occasion.

Deliberate, no just someone who doesn't check what they're reading before foisting it on the public, who of course don't listen to the TV or radio saying you have to have ID. On your council tax bill in big letters.

In that case, it doesn't inspire confidence that the local party knows what it's doing.

My voter ID certificate arrived in the post today, as I don't have any other photo ID. Was easy to apply online, although I had to send some additional documents as I use a shortened version of my first name rather than the one that is registered to my National Insurance number. If the name you are registered to vote with is identical to the name attached to your NI number then its quick and easy to apply for the certificate, just need a digital photo meeting the usual conditions of plain background, looking straight at the camera with a neutral expression. Its valid indefinitely so long as I still look like the photo, although they recommend renewing every 10 years. This has been advertised extensively so anyone who needs one and wants to vote really has no excuse.

I have a number of valid voter IDs, so I haven't really bothered about it that much. My driving licence and bus pass are in my handbag, which I take almost everywhere anyway. However, to be honest, I haven't really seen much advertising for the voter ID requirement - maybe I just don't look in the right places.

To be able to vote you have to be an adult, so it is entirely your own fault if you don't know that valid ID is now a requirement.
But again: voters are adults, so the onus is on them to ensure they understand the requirements for voting.
This has been advertised extensively so anyone who needs one and wants to vote really has no excuse.

Is that right?

One in four voters wrongly believe they don't need ID at May local elections, poll shows - Mirror Online

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/one-four-voters-wrongly-believe-29552560

Your own fault? No excuse? 25% of the population doesn’t know about it, but it’s their own fault? I can’t agree.

There’s no elections up here in Scotland, I’m hoping that by the time there is, that this flirtation with authoritarianism will have been abandoned.

I was Presiding Officer at a polling station in an area where Voter Photo ID was trialled during Council Elections a few years ago - along the same lines as next week's. We encountered absolutely no problems at all. Almost every one of the several hundred who turned up to vote at our polling station that day knew about the Photo ID requirement and came prepared; a few didn't know about it, but happened to have acceptable photo ID means (mostly driving licences, bus passes, student IDs) on them; a handful of others others went home and brought suitablePhoto ID back with them. And [to the best of my memory] two people without Photo ID left and did not come back. The feedback we got on the matter was overwhelmingly positive, with no complaints whatever on the matter of Photo ID. Someone earlier in this thread has said that there will be no head count on numbers not allowed to vote because of a lack of Photo ID at this election. That's not true. Presiding officers will be keeping a log of numbers who were not issued a ballot paper for various Photo ID-related issues. It will also detail how many of these voters subsequently returned with suitable Photo ID and were consequently issued with ballot papers.

It’s been in use in part of the UK since 2002, including use of a voter identity card.
It will be interesting to see any feedback, such as that mentioned by Bodach above.

Presiding officers will be keeping a log of numbers who were not issued a ballot paper for various Photo ID-related issues.

It's my understanding that people without ID will be turned away before they get as far as the officer issuing the ballot paper. In which case the presiding officer will have no idea why the ballot paper hasn't been issued.

Has it been the usual practice in the past for the presiding officer to keep such a log?

The compulsory ID requirement is totally unnecessary. Voter fraud by individual voters is negligible and election fraud generally is reportedly by candidates or their agents infringing rules about expenses.

Are student IDs acceptable as voter IDs?
And congratulations to Saetana for going through the rigmarole of getting hers. No bus pass?

I am only 53 lol so no bus pass yet - I technically could get a driving licence, hit 12 points 20 years ago and lost it but haven't been able to afford to run a car since so never bothered reapplying for a new one. Haven't been out of the country since the 90s so no passport either.

Grantanow

The compulsory ID requirement is totally unnecessary. Voter fraud by individual voters is negligible and election fraud generally is reportedly by candidates or their agents infringing rules about expenses.

That has already been the subject of long discussions on GN.
Now it has been introduced it’s important that people who can vote, can and do have ID. Congrats to Saetana for organising hers.

MaizieD

^Presiding officers will be keeping a log of numbers who were not issued a ballot paper for various Photo ID-related issues.^

It's my understanding that people without ID will be turned away before they get as far as the officer issuing the ballot paper. In which case the presiding officer will have no idea why the ballot paper hasn't been issued.

Has it been the usual practice in the past for the presiding officer to keep such a log?

Instructions for Polling Staff state that any concerns Poll Clerks have regarding potential voters' Photographic ID must be referred to the Presiding Officer, who makes the decision whether or not to issue a ballot paper. That obviously includes cases where no Photographic ID is offered. In any case, the Presiding Officer will be sitting next to the Poll Clerk, so will be immediately aware of the situation. In all the years I have been a Presiding Officer, I have had to maintain a log of cases where the issue of a ballot paper has been refused for any reason. At this election, there will be an additional log kept relating specifically to matters related to Photographic ID

Romola

Are student IDs acceptable as voter IDs?
And congratulations to Saetana for going through the rigmarole of getting hers. No bus pass?

Sorry, Romola: College-issued Student ID cards are not acceptable in this context. I may have misled you by mentioning 'Student IDs' earlier. I was thinking of young peoples' Proof of Age Standards' (PASS) Cards, which are acceptable. By the way, expired documents are still acceptable, so long as the photo is still a good likeness.

I don't appear to have received a Polling Card or if I have, I've lost it. I don't know if I'll be able to vote at all.

The need for voter ID has been widely reported and anybody who has missed it, on tv, radio, newspapers or social media is unlikely to be a voter I suspect.
Voter ID has been a requirement in Northern Ireland since 2002 was introduced by a Labour government and works perfectly. 46 out of 47 European countries require voter ID and again this is the accepted norm.
Voter fraud in Northern Ireland dropped after voter ID was introduced.

Sorry Mcbab but I am most certainly a voter and I haven't consciously seen much advertising about voter ID. Admittedly, I haven't really looked for it. I rarely watch TV or listen to the radio and don't buy a print newspaper, so maybe that's why.

I've known about voter ID for months, although I can't remember when I found out. It might have been because I'm a member of a political party and I receive regular emails from them.

I must admit I find it baffling because, as far as I can work out, the only proven electoral fraud has been with postal votes - and people don't need voter ID for postal votes.

MaggsMcG

I don't appear to have received a Polling Card or if I have, I've lost it. I don't know if I'll be able to vote at all.

I haven't received one either. It's on my list to ring the council tomorrow.

You never needed a polling card to vote before so I assume we don't need it this time. I don't usually take mine but I may do this time just in case. The only people who usually asked for it were the canvassers outside and I prefer not to get involved with them, especially if they are the opposition.

We haven’t received polling cards. In the past we didn’t need to have them when voting.

growstuff

Sorry Mcbab but I am most certainly a voter and I haven't consciously seen much advertising about voter ID. Admittedly, I haven't really looked for it. I rarely watch TV or listen to the radio and don't buy a print newspaper, so maybe that's why.

I've known about voter ID for months, although I can't remember when I found out. It might have been because I'm a member of a political party and I receive regular emails from them.

I must admit I find it baffling because, as far as I can work out, the only proven electoral fraud has been with postal votes - and people don't need voter ID for postal votes.

My goodness! No radio newspapers or tv! How do you keep up with the news at all?!
Fraud was rampant in Northern Ireland where the saying went ‘vote early and vote often’ but was difficult to catch. Fraud, obviously, by its very nature is devious and introducing voter ID helped enormously to counter it.
I honestly cannot see what the problem is in being required to prove who you are to cast your vote. After all if you go to the post office to collect a parcel you must show ID etc etc etc

Simples! Social media and online newspapers and magazines (dozens of them, including a number of foreign sources) and I follow up sources. I think you'll find that TV is becoming less popular, especially with younger people.

PS. Personally, I don't have any issue with voter ID. In fact, I wouldn't object to everybody having ID cards. However, I also recognise the inconsistencies in the acceptable forms of ID, which are discriminatory towards younger people and to those without stable accommodation.

singingnutty

We haven’t received polling cards. In the past we didn’t need to have them when voting.

That's good to know. I've always taken mine with me and the clerk has just checked my number on the list and ticked me off, but I guess they can find me just an address.

jocork

You never needed a polling card to vote before so I assume we don't need it this time. I don't usually take mine but I may do this time just in case. The only people who usually asked for it were the canvassers outside and I prefer not to get involved with them, especially if they are the opposition.

I wouldn't worry about them. They're not supposed to approach anybody before they go into the voting booth nor have any campaigning literature visible.