Voters will have to show ID

[Taf]

18 council areas in England identified by the Electoral Commission as being most susceptible to voter fraud will be invited to take part in the pilot.

Different local authorities will trial different types of photo ID, including driving licences, passports or utility bills to prove addresses.

..certain Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities may be more vulnerable to fraud due to a lack of understanding of the voting process.

He also highlighted "kinship" traditions, saying they emphasised collective over individual rights and made it more likely that people would "hand over" their vote over to others.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38440934

An, of course, some political figures are against the idea.

[pip08456]

I would have no problem with that. No-one else should either.

No problem at all with it ,of course if the government had pursued ID cards then it wouldn't be a problem

[Osem]

Same here. Can't believe we don't have to, especially given the proof of quite widespread election fraud etc. It can't be right that simple possession of a poling card virtually equates to a vote.

We think nothing about showing ID to pick up parcels and all sorts of things which are far less important than voting so what's the problem?

[heero_yuy]

Might not be that easy though:



Could be anybody under there.

afghan-vote_1108007i.jpg

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Might not be that easy though:



Could be anybody under there.

Attachment 26842

Then they don't get to vote

[denphone]

We certainly have no worries about it either.

[heero_yuy]

We have no problem either though I don't think fraudulent voting is widespread the process needs to be as transparent and correct as possible to maintain faith in the results.

[richard s]

Time for National i.d. cards... sort a lot of problems out.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by richard s

Time for National i.d. cards... sort a lot of problems out.

IF the card was just about identity then I think most would be OK with that. It was the fact that the proposed card had RFID and the possibility of remote tracking of your movements and the all inclusive list of organisations that would have had unfettered access to that data that was the issue. Much like the snoopers charter.

Originally Posted by pip08456

I would have no problem with that. No-one else should either.

Thats nice for you, but you dont speak for everyone.

Originally Posted by Osem

We think nothing about showing ID to pick up parcels and all sorts of things which are far less important than voting so what's the problem?

None of those require a photo id.
I dont see why should I have to specially dig my passport out just to vote, its OTT.

(And what if you dont have one, up until about 10 years ago I didnt).

[nomadking]

Different local authorities will trial different types of ID, including driving licences, passports and utility bills. The creation of a new form of ID specifically for voting has been ruled out by ministers.
Northern Ireland already requires voters to show ID before casting their vote.

[Taf]

Originally Posted by richard s

Time for National i.d. cards... sort a lot of problems out.

I am all for them... if they are free (i.e. paid for from taxes).

---------- Post added at 15:37 ---------- Previous post was at 15:35 ----------


I have to supply photo ID and a recent utility bill for a few council things (e.g. Blue Badge renewal and use of council tips).

Originally Posted by Paul M

Thats nice for you, but you dont speak for everyone.


None of those require a photo id.
I dont see why should I have to specially dig my passport out just to vote, its OTT.

(And what if you dont have one, up until about 10 years ago I didnt).

I agree with this I think.

A lot of people don't have driving licences or passports. There are some issues with voting but we should always err on the side of caution when it comes to restricting the ability to vote, even for something as innocuous as requiring 'some form' of ID. We don't want to create the situation they have in the US where there are seemingly many obstacles for people to vote in certain states.

The danger would be if a lot of people simply don't know about this change and get turned away. We've done a good job with voting in this country, it's mostly accessible, simple and resistant to mass fraud. We don't want to create a problem disenfranchisement, to solve a problem which doesn't really exist.

The actual Government response to Eric Pickles' report.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...oral-fraud.pdf

Sir Eric’s report has recommended that the Government should consider the options for requiring voters to produce identification, and we note that Sir Eric has set out possible ways for voters to prove their identity, which includes providing their date of birth, national insurance number or signature, or producing photographic or non- photographic ID.

We agree with Sir Eric that piloting different options at local elections could be helpful in assessing the impact on voters of requiring them to prove their identity, and provide useful learning which would help inform any decision on how to extend the provisions at elections more widely.

The Government is keen for a variety of ID options to be piloted and the Annex to this response sets out possible options as to how such electoral integrity pilots may be trialled at local authority polls in May 2018.

Types of identification

Sir Eric identified six principal options for the types of identification that voters could be asked to produce at polling stations. Having given careful consideration to all of the available options, we intend to explore the following types of identification in a number of pilot schemes:

● A bank card (or similar) with a signature, and the requirement to give a signature;
● Other photographic or non-photographic identification (e.g. bus pass);
● A passport, driver’s licence, or other official photographic identification; or

The Government agrees with Sir Eric that a significant benefit for a number of these types of identification is that they are commonly held by most UK adults, and could therefore be readily produced when requested at polling stations.

It has been noted that requiring voters to provide certain types of identification at polling stations may involve significant work in producing records that could be used to check information against. We share Sir Eric’s concern that some types of identification do not provide absolute assurance against fraudulent activity. For example, dates of birth may be easily recited by others, and many people may not be able to recite their National Insurance numbers when asked.

By contrast, bank (or similar) cards with signatures could represent a more robust form of identification. Bank cards are held by many UK adults and, as they mostly contain a signature, would preclude the need for additional records to be produced for information to be checked against.

The requirement to produce other types of identification provides voters with a wider range of options for identification containing either a photograph or a signature (or both). However, we have acknowledged Sir Eric’s reservation that, as the number and type of cards are likely to be varied, it would be harder to mandate this provision in a way that offers an acceptable level of rigour.