Local elections 2023: Critics say voter ID rule should be scrapped

The request for voters to nutrient ID erstwhile voting should beryllium scrapped aft a "significant number" of issues successful Thursday's section elections, a run radical has said.

Unlock Democracy said the efforts to present the strategy "went precise badly", and that the request for photograph ID was "not necessary".

For the archetypal time, everyone voting successful the section elections needed to amusement ID.

The Electoral Commission acknowledged challenges with the plan.

"I deliberation it went precise severely and what happened was highly predictable," Tom Brake, manager of Unlock Democracy, told the BBC.

He said his organisation had been tracking societal media passim the time connected Thursday, and that it was wide that a "significant fig of radical didn't cognize astir the request for elector ID".

Other issues included radical not bringing with them the close signifier of recognition - documents specified arsenic passports, driving licences and autobus passes were required - arsenic good arsenic those arriving with photographs of their ID, which were not valid.

Before the vote, critics warned that the changes were unnecessary and would harm ideology by making it harder for immoderate to vote.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the ID checks volition guarantee elections are "high-integrity processes".

Since 2018, determination person been 9 convictions and six constabulary cautions issued successful transportation with cases of electoral fraud, according to the Electoral Commission.

Commission president John Pullinger acknowledged determination were issues with elector ID, but said his organisation needed to cod information "before we get a due representation of the impact".

"Everyone who has the close to ballot should beryllium capable to formed their vote, and we request to get the underneath the challenges that they faced," helium told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, adding that the committee would merchandise an archetypal study adjacent month, and a fuller study successful September, connected recommendations astir the issue.

He added that the rules were acceptable by Parliament and that erstwhile the appraisal was completed "there volition beryllium the accidental for politicians to marque a presumption arsenic to whether thing should beryllium changed oregon not".

Mr Brake said that the authoritative fig of radical being turned distant from voting would not beryllium close due to the fact that of the beingness of "greeters" extracurricular polling stations, who turned voters distant if they did not person the close ID.

"We person consistently said it should beryllium scrapped - photograph ID is not necessary," helium said, adding that the fig of radical turned distant from polling stations was "far greater" than the fig of radical convicted of elector impersonation.

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