Ballot officials get X about Tories’ voter ID law
ELECTION officials in England are “extremely concerned” about becoming bouncers at the ballot box when voters are forced to show photo ID, a report found.
The Constitution Society study found officials fear they will not be able to ensure a free and fair vote in May’s local council elections and may have to turn thousands away.
The elections will be the first to require photo ID, a new law critics condemn as “voter suppression”.
Councils fear being flooded with millions of requests for a free form of ID, which voters will have to apply for if they do not have the right ID. The Tories say the rules will “ensure the integrity of elections”, but 45% of councils surveyed said they were not confident they could train staff on the new voter ID.
Asked if voter ID would lead to problems in polling stations, every respondent was “worried”, and 57% were “very or extremely worried”. Election expert Dr John Ault said: “Our elections are changing and those required to run them are concerned.”
There were three convictions for in-person voter fraud from 2014 to 2019. Alex Norris, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Elections, said: “This is a complete shambles.”