No need for ID

In his piece on voter ID (“Showing ID a smart move that will curb voter fraud”, Perspective, 12 March) Brian Monteith argues that forcing voters to prove who they are before exercising their right to vote “is not too much to ask”.

Yet the Electoral Commission has warned that 11 million electors (24 per cent of the electorate) do not have access to a passport or photographic driving licence.

“Solving” this issue by allowing people to bring weaker forms of ID will do nothing: those who want to abuse the system could forge them, while it would only serve to put off or prevent honest voters who had forgotten theirs.

Mr Monteith correctly notes there was only one successful prosecution for “personation” in the entirety of last year. This is precisely the point: there is simply no evidence of a widespread problem. These plans are therefore a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The author asks: “What do people have to fear from proving who they are before choosing our lawmakers?”

While there is nothing to fear in the way he is suggesting, there are well-founded fears that millions of people without the required ID will be barred from voting.

The government should be doing it all it can to encourage people to vote, not putting up barriers.

And the integrity of our elections is paramount – which is why our election and judicial systems are among the most highly respected in the world. Let’s build on that positively, rather than rushing to implement dangerous knee-jerk policies.

WILLIE SULLIVAN, Director, Electoral Reform

Society Scotland South Charlotte Street

Edinburgh