Papers please: How the government is making it harder to vote in the local elections
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By Darren Hughes
When thousands of people go to vote in the local elections today, they will find that something has changed. In ten council areas, they’ll need to bring ID to the polling station. Without it, they’ll be turned away.
The government is once again piloting mandatory voter identification, following trials last year that saw 350 people denied the vote. Apparently it was not enough. This time, ten councils are taking part in the scheme.
Ministers are apparently intent on ploughing ahead. But make no mistake: this is a ‘show your papers’ policy. It presents a significant risk to democratic access and equality.
Prior to the 2018 pilots, an unprecedented coalition of over 40 leading civil society groups, charities and academics joined the Electoral Reform Society in opposing mandatory ID plans, including Age UK, Stonewall, Liberty, The Salvation Army, Migrants’ Rights Network, the British Youth Council and the Race Equality Foundation. Those groups are still against proposa...
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