Show your ID before you cast your ballot

VOTERS could be asked to show identification before they cast their ballots in an attempt to beat voter fraud, the Government has said as it announced a trial of the proposed changes.

Residents in five local authority areas will have to show ID before being allowed to vote in council elections scheduled for May next year.

The Conservatives pledged to introduce the need for voter ID in their 2017 manifesto.

The trial comes after reports of alleged electoral fraud through voter impersonation more than doubled between 2014 and 2016, according to official Electoral Commission figures.

Chris Skidmore, the minister for the constitution, said: “The current situation of people simply pointing out their name without having to prove who they are feels out of date when considering other safeguards to protect people’s identity.

“It is harder to take out a library book or collect a parcel at a post office than it is to vote in someone’s name.”

Local authorities in Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Watford and Slough volunteered to take part in the trial.