‘Categorically untrue’ that young people will be unfairly disadvantaged by voter ID, minister says

A house workplace minister has stated that claims younger individuals will likely be unfairly deprived by the introduction of voter ID on the native elections are “categorically unfaithful”.

It comes as intensive planning is underway to get councils prepared for the native elections on Might 4, with everybody voting in individual in England anticipated to point out identification for the primary time. 

Critics say the modifications will harm democracy by making it more durable for some to vote and that cases of voter impersonation and fraud are extremely uncommon.

Responding to those criticisms, the policing minister Chris Philp instructed Sky Information: “One of many points with voter impersonation is, by definition, you don’t know when it’s occurring. And when you possibly can flip as much as a polling station — as you at the moment can — and say ‘my title is John Smith.  I reside in quantity 10 Acacia Avenue’, that’s it, you simply get given the polling card”.

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He added: “I feel so as to have absolute confidence within the poll, I feel saying you want some type of ID so as to vote in-person on the day is an inexpensive factor to request. There are 20 types of ID which might be acceptable”.

Challenged on the concept that some younger individuals could not have entry to requisite ID, Mr Philp stated: “your suggestion that someway younger persons are going to be unfairly deprived is categorically not true. If something, it’s the opposite manner round. However the principle level is that 98% of individuals have already got one in all these types of ID”.

There are 22 types of accepted ID which will likely be accepted at native elections in Might together with: passports, driving licences, older or disabled individual’s bus passes and Oyster 60+ playing cards.

Further polling station “greeters” may even be readily available subsequent month to get voters on top of things on new ID guidelines. 

Nevertheless, The very fact the brand new employees are wanted to implement the coverage has been branded “costly” and “pointless” by Labour.

The Native Authorities Affiliation (LGA), which represents native authorities, stated the sensible difficulties confronted by voting officers imposing ID checks “shouldn’t be underestimated”.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has defended the change on the grounds that England should be certain voting is a “high-integrity course of”. That is regardless of no proof of large-scale electoral fraud within the UK.

There have been 185 electoral-related offences reported throughout 2022 in all, the vast majority of which had been linked to campaigning slightly than voting. No motion was taken in 119 cases.

Native councils are enterprise publicity campaigns so as to drive the uptake of voter ID and improve consciousness forward of the ballot in Might. This consists of Trevor Holden, the managing director of two native councils in Norfolk, who has rapped in a music video to remind individuals they now want ID to vote at a polling station.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, instructed Sky Information this morning that new guidelines round voter ID appear “very suspect” to the Labour Social gathering.

Mr Ashworth was referring to the principles that permit older individuals to make use of rail passes as voter ID, however don’t allow the identical for youthful voters. The federal government claims it is because extra identification is important for older individuals to realize entry to those passes.

“We needs to be doing every thing we will to extend voter turnout”, Mr Ashworth stated, including “will see what occurs” within the native elections on 4 Might.