Voter ID

"An initial report, to be published in the coming weeks, will include the proportion of people turned away from polling stations"

Except, as the BBC report also says, "Anyone who left after being told by the greeters outside some polling stations that they needed ID will not have been counted."

So - there'll actually be no idea how many didn't vote because of not having the required ID.

We voted, along with our ID cards, but we had a (bad) choice of only 2 to vote for, I think my and MrOops vote cancelled each other out.
I was disappointed that we didn’t have the choice of candidates that other areas had as we didn’t want to vote for either of the ones that we had offered to us.

We are not all the same, thank goodness.

Wise words, NotSpaghetti. 👏

I knew about voter ID because I read about the objections to it, not because I consciously read any instruction to carry it. The publicity campaign obviously bypassed me, as it probably did with others.

Foxygloves

growstuff

If I'm walking somewhere (eg to the postbox, to pick up a prescription, to top up my 10,000 steps), I leave home with my front door key and phone. I walk to the poll booth, so normally wouldn't take my handbag with driving licence and bus pass.

Do you often pop into a polling station as part of your 10,000 steps?
Or would it be a conscious decision to walk to the polling booth?
If the latter, how hard is it to take your picture ID with you, just as I did on Thursday morning’s dog walk?

Of course I don't often pop into a polling station on my daily walk because we don't have an election every day. However, yesterday I did incorporate it into my daily "constitutional". I was responding to the point about taking driving licences everywhere. Mine is in my wallet, so I would take it with me if I know I'm going to need money, but not otherwise.

Eh? I never had a Covid pass and didn't carry evidence of vaccination anywhere.

growstuff

If I'm walking somewhere (eg to the postbox, to pick up a prescription, to top up my 10,000 steps), I leave home with my front door key and phone. I walk to the poll booth, so normally wouldn't take my handbag with driving licence and bus pass.

Do you often pop into a polling station as part of your 10,000 steps?
Or would it be a conscious decision to walk to the polling booth?
If the latter, how hard is it to take your picture ID with you, just as I did on Thursday morning’s dog walk?

Foxygloves - if you read what she says, grannytomany isn't intending to not stop if the police ask her to, nor to refuse to provide her licence if required - she simply doesn't cary her driving licence about with her
I didn’t suggest for a moment that she is, merely quoting from the Government website which I checked to see what the legal requirement is , finding it is indeed a recommendation.

My point remains- we have all been told about this regulation, why be surprised at its enforcement?
People must have short memories if they have forgotten already carrying their evidence of Covid vaccination or Covid “pass”
So perhaps a timely warning before (presumably) next year’s GE.
And for those who bleat “we didna ken “ (we didn’t know)
“Well ye ken noo “

If I'm walking somewhere (eg to the postbox, to pick up a prescription, to top up my 10,000 steps), I leave home with my front door key and phone. I walk to the poll booth, so normally wouldn't take my handbag with driving licence and bus pass.

Foxygloves - if you read what she says, grannytomany isn't intending to not stop if the police ask her to, nor to refuse to provide her licence if required - she simply doesn't cary her driving licence about with her! Neither do I, neither does my husband - and, though I've not asked, I would be surprised if all my adult children carry theirs - as none seem to use the sort of massive purses/wallets of our youth. I can't see why I should need to either as, if necessary I can produce it "within 7 days".

Often (as I did yesterday) I leave the house with just a credit or debit card and my car keys.
We are not all the same, thank goodness.

nobody came to check that I was the person who had the postal vote

In theory, your signature on your postal vote should be checked against the signature given when you applied for your postal vote originally. Whether that is done scrupulously or on a random basis, I don’t know.

Yes, Calendargirl, I've never understood why it says you don't need to bring the voting card. I always have. When I turned up at the desk with it on Thursday the clerk said " thank you so much. I wish everybody would bring it".

Grannytomany

I don’t think many people (whether driving at the time or not) carry their driving licence with them. Mine rarely sees the light of day because I rarely need to actually use it.

I’m surprised how many of you are saying that there’s been a big publicity campaign about voter id. If there’s been a campaign which was properly targeted and thoroughly visible to all ages and sectors of the population them more people would have known about it. The fact that so many people didn’t know is good evidence that the publicity campaign failed to meet its objective. Not everyone watches TV need or current affairs programmes or reads newspapers.

I carry my driving license with me at all times. It's in my wallet/purse. You never know when you might need it. It's with me even when I'm not in my car. It's just useful to have, to prove who I am.

I have a postal vote and have had one for years: nobody came to check that I was the person who had the postal vote.
I feel the government has used a sledge hammer to crack what is a very small problem of voting fraud. And there's probably more fraud going on with postal votes but that hasn't been tackled.

NanaDana

You can lead a horse to water...

Indeed!
The fact that so many people didn’t know is good evidence that the publicity campaign failed to meet its objective
No.....
Not everyone watches TV need (news?) or current affairs programmes or reads newspapers

Really? Has anybody broken it to them that Queen Elizabeth is dead, Meghan is not coming to the Coronation and Monday's a Bank Holiday? It did even feature on social media so you'd have to be living in a cave to miss it. But of course as NanaDana said...

Better look it out @grannytomany !
The police can stop a vehicle for any reason. If they ask you to stop, you should alwayspull over when it’s safe to do so. You’re breaking the law if you do not stop.
If you’re stopped, the police can ask to see your:
driving licence,insurance certificate, MOT certificate
If you do not have these documents with you, you have 7 days to take them to a police station. You’re breaking the law if you do not show the requested documents within 7 days.

Totally agree GrannyRose
This is where the problem lies - but it's easier to solve a problem that doesn't exist!

The card goes straight into the bin

I know it says on the card you have no need to take it with you to vote, but speaking as a poll clerk at elections, it is extremely helpful to the staff if you do take and show your card.

Makes it so much easier for us to find you on the register, helps deal with any queries that may arise, and just speeds up the whole process.

So, if you can, please take your card with you.

You can lead a horse to water...

Whenever I pick up a JL order at Waitrose, I have to show ID. It’s not issued by JL but designed for consumer protection..

This thread was not started to debate the pro’s and cons but just given the new regulation which has been widely publicised for 6 months, my musings on anybody being surprised when it was enforced.

I don’t think that I have ever read my voting card - I know where to vote and the date and times etc.

The card goes straight into the bin.

There is an awful lot of nonsense talked on this thread.

If voter IDs are law then the government should issue voter IDs .

I don’t think many people (whether driving at the time or not) carry their driving licence with them. Mine rarely sees the light of day because I rarely need to actually use it.

I’m surprised how many of you are saying that there’s been a big publicity campaign about voter id. If there’s been a campaign which was properly targeted and thoroughly visible to all ages and sectors of the population them more people would have known about it. The fact that so many people didn’t know is good evidence that the publicity campaign failed to meet its objective. Not everyone watches TV need or current affairs programmes or reads newspapers.

No objection to ID, in fact universal ID cards or digital equivalent would solve this problem - it’s just that there has been some degree of selectiveness in what ID is acceptable. Why is old person’s bus pass acceptable ID and not a student or indeed nurses ‘ NHS employment card , both with photos, not acceptable? All seems a bit ill thought through. Why doesn’t that surprise me?

This is a solution without a problem. In person election fraud is extremely rare in the UK. Where the problem lies is with postal votes where people can be influenced or even coerced into voting a certain way. And yet there has been no suggestion that postal voting should be reformed.

Why should nurses be assumed to be carrying their driving licences? I don't; I keep it in a safe place with my passport.