Britons should be able to use wider range of ID to vote, says watchdog

Ministers should expand the ID that people can use to vote, the elections watchdog has recommended, after a report found as many as 750,000 people might not have voted in the 2024 general election because they lacked the necessary documents.

The Electoral Commission said the government should also look at allowing people without ID to vote if someone who did have proof of identity was able to vouch for them at a polling station.

Its study into the voter ID laws, which were introduced under the Conservatives in 2022 and used for a national election for the first time on 4 July this year, found that an estimated 16,000 voters were turned away from polling stations for lacking ID and did not return, 0.08% of the total number of people who voted.

However, when polling carried out for the research asked people who did not try to vote at all their reason why, 4% said it was because they lacked ID. When the polling included a prompted list of reasons, it rose to 10%.

Given the 60% turnout of Great Britain’s registered electorate of about 47 million people, even 4% of those who did not try to vote because of the ID rules would amount to about 750,000 denied a vote. The study excluded Northern Ireland because it has had its own voter ID laws since 1985.

While the report noted that the 2024 election turnout of 59.8% was the lowest since 2001, it said it was impossible to accurately say whether this was linked to the new rules.

The research found that this phenomenon was particularly prevalent among people from more deprived social backgrounds. There were also signs this was the case for disabled people and those who were unemployed, it said, but not at statistically significant levels.

Similarly, while polling for the study found 87% of Britons overall were aware of the ID rules, this fell to 71% for 18- to 24-year-olds and 76% for people from minority ethnic communities.

When the ID law was introduced, campaigners criticised the narrow list of permitted forms of photo ID, which included seven different types of ID for older people, but none for students or other younger people.

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In its report, the Electoral Commission said it should also include the Oyster photocard for students aged 18-plus in London, as well as the nationally used Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card and the Veterans card.

It also said ministers should consider a system whereby someone lacking the documents to vote could have someone else attest to who they were.

In an attempt to help people without ID, people were able to apply for a free form of ID called a voter authority certificate. However, the report found that while 210,000 people applied for them, just 26,000 were used at the general election. The report suggests the paper document is also offered digitally to encourage take-up.

In opposition, Labour said the voter ID laws were not necessary, and the government is now expected to make changes to limit their impact in preventing some people from voting.

Vijay Rangarajan, the Electoral Commission’s chief executive, said: “This was the first time all voters across the UK were required to show photographic ID at a general election, and the data shows almost everyone was able to do so successfully. However, our research shows that the need for ID discouraged some people from voting – and we don’t want to see any voters lose their say.

“The commission will review how our public campaigns and other work can continue to support the effective implementation of voter ID and minimise the barriers to voting.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which deals with electoral issues, said: “The government is committed to strengthening our democracy and making sure every legitimate voter can exercise their democratic right to vote. The government will carefully consider the report as part of our thorough evaluation of voter ID rules, to understand how they impacted voters, before bringing forward proposals in due course.”