Government plans to make people show photographic identification at polling stations will make it harder to vote and “upset the balance” of Britain’s electoral system, senior MPs have said.
The Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee called on ministers to stop the passage of the Elections Bill and rethink their plans. They cited changes in the rules around photo ID introduced in Northern Ireland in 2003, which resulted in turnout dropping by 2.3 per cent.
“There is a concern that a voter ID requirement will introduce a barrier preventing some people from exercising their vote,” the MPs said. “The process of carrying out elections in the UK, the ease with which members of the electorate can cast their vote, and the trust that is shown in and by the electorate in general is an admirable and crucial tenet of our democratic process.
“These arrangements should be cherished and protected, and great care must be taken whenever consideration is given to altering them. Introducing a compulsory voter ID requirement risks upsetting the balance of our electoral system, making it more difficult to vote and removing an element of the trust inherent in the current system.”
William Wragg, the committee’s Tory chairman, said he remained “unconvinced” that the scale of potential electoral fraud justified the solutions the government was putting forward. “When people can be blocked from voting because they have incorrect documentation, have misplaced it or they have none, we must make doubly sure that the costs of the measures are commensurate with the risk,” he said.
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He also criticised plans to reduce the power of the Electoral Commission, which oversees the election process. “Any government proposal which might directly or indirectly influence the independent regulator over its operations and decision-making will invite suspicion, especially when plans have been drawn up behind closed doors. The Electoral Commission must be impartial both in practice and in the public perception if it is to credibly maintain the integrity of our electoral system.
“We feel that the Elections Bill proposals lack a sufficient evidence base, timely consultation, and transparency, all of which should be addressed before it makes any further progress.
“We cannot risk any reduction of trust in UK elections, which is why the majority of the committee is calling for the Bill to be paused to give time for more work to be done to ensure the measures are fit for purpose.”
The committee said that it had also received significant evidence raising concern that voter ID would create barriers to voting for particular groups and communities, such as disabled people and people from ethnic minorities.
