What you need to know about voter photo ID for the local elections

Every eligible voter in England and Wales will be able to cast a ballot in at least one type of election on 2 May.

Nearly 2,700 council seats in England are up for grabs across 107 local authorities; 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales will be chosen; and polls are taking place to elect some of the most high-profile mayors in the country, including Greater Manchester and London.

For most people, these elections will be the first in which they have to use voter identification at their polling station.

What is voter ID?

Voter ID is a form of photo ID people must show at their polling station in order to cast a ballot.

The new rule was brought in under the Elections Act 2022, with the government saying they were necessary to combat the risk of in-person voter fraud. It was first enforced at last year’s set of local elections in England.

Valid forms of voter ID include passports, driving licences, blue badges and certain bus passes (a full list can be seen on the Electoral Commission website).

People without valid voter ID are able to use voter authority certificates, though the deadline for applying for these passed on Wednesday last week.

Why is it controversial?

The key reason is concerns around disenfranchisement of marginalised groups of people.

After last year’s local elections in England, the Electoral Commission said about 14,000 people - 0.25% - didn't vote after being unable to show photo ID.

The elections watchdog also suggested “significantly more” did not attempt to vote because they lacked the required ID.

It said there was “concerning” evidence that disabled and unemployed people were “more likely than other groups to give a reason related to ID for not voting”.

And data suggested “some correlation” between the numbers turned away and “specific socio-demographic factors, such as ethnicity and unemployment”.

In a report in September last year, the all-party parliamentary group on democracy and the constitution said the policy is “a ‘poisoned cure’ in that it disenfranchises more electors than it protects”.

For example, “polling clerks are more likely to fail to compare a photo ID to the person presenting that document if the person is of a different ethnicity,” according to the report.

The root of this controversy is political.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was a cabinet minister when voter ID was passed into law, suggested in May last year it had been an attempt to improve the Conservatives’ electoral chances.

“Parties that try and gerrymander,” he said, “end up finding their clever scheme comes back to bite them, as dare I say we found by insisting on voter ID for elections.

"We found the people who didn’t have ID were elderly and they by and large voted Conservative, so we made it hard for our own voters and we upset a system that worked perfectly well.”

Last month, a poll conducted on behalf of campaign group Best for Britain found 16% of people did not know that they would need photo ID to vote in upcoming elections.

The poll suggested this could even help senior Tories, including Rishi Sunak, keep their seats when it comes to the general election.

The prime minister has previously defended voter ID, saying in May last year: “I think it is an entirely reasonable thing that there is integrity in our voting system.”

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also said this month: “We are committed to ensuring everyone can have their say in our democracy, and the Electoral Commission will continue to conduct public awareness campaigns ahead of each set of relevant polls.

“The vast majority of voters in the polling station – 99.75% – cast their vote successfully at the local elections in England last May.”

Read more

• Report on the May 2023 local elections in England (Electoral Commission)

• ‘Confusion’ over voter ID rules could save top Tories, poll says (PA Media)

• When is the next general election? Everything we know (Yahoo News UK)