Will ID rule stop voter fraud ... NO!
TRIALS of voter ID laws, which require people to bring proof of who they are, were tested in various constituencies, including mine, for the council elections. There have been claims that hundreds of people were turned away. Official figures in Swindon say 60 people were turned away and 35 returned with the correct ID. That means 25 people could not vote. Were they potential voting fraudsters? Probably not, if my experience is anything to go by. In our queue of six people, two elderly people were turned away and prevented from voting. One was a man, who stated he had not received his official poll card. He was asked to produce a driving licence or passport, neither of which he possessed. He did have two household bills with his name and address and National Insurance plus his bus pass with a photo, but these were not acceptable. He was denied his vote and left very unhappy, saying he would not vote again. A woman produced a letter that showed her name and address and seemed bemused when she was told this was not enough. She left, defeated and upset. Two people determined to vote turned away in a quarter of an hour — how efficient! Ironically, having presented my proper ID card, the official asked me to confirm my name and address to prove it was my card! Unlike my passport, it did not have my photograph, so anyone could have used it. It was no proof of my identity at all, which I thought was the purpose of the experiment. I had to wait while an official tapped my details into a tiny screen while a queue built up behind me and the other voting clerks sat there doing nothing. I do not know how much voter fraud occurs at polling stations, but I do not believe this new system will tackle the main abuse. Those of us who have had experience of canvassing for political parties over the years know that the main way voter fraud occurs is through the postal vote system. I am sure the Electoral Commission must also know this, but instead of taking action to stop this, we have a cosmetic scheme to make it look as though something is being done about voter fraud. If stopping a few disorganised people from voting is the aim of this idea then it has succeeded admirably. I am sure it was an expensive experiment. Will this scheme now be pushed out nationally? What a changed country we live in.
SHEILA ATTWATER, Swindon, Wilts. MY FRIEND went to the polling station to cast her vote. In the afternoon she admitted to me she went back with her sister’s polling card and voted again. All civilised countries have identity cards, so why not us?
HEATHER DEE, Windsor, Berks.