Falklands veteran ‘refused to vote’ in local elections
HULL and East Riding councillors have had their say after figures showed 158 people were unable to vote in this year’s local elections due to new voter ID rules.
Some councillors said the new rules had proved dangerous and were brought in under false pretences while another said it was necessary to protect democracy against fraud.
Hull City Council chief executive Matt Jukes said a very low proportion of voters could not cast their ballots because of ID issues, while East Riding Council declined to comment.
It comes as Hull City Council figures showed 216 people out of the 22,298 who voted on Thursday, May 4, were initially turned away for having no or unacceptable forms of ID.
A total of 116 later returned with valid ID and were able to get a ballot paper but 100 were still unable to vote.
In the East Riding, 79,381 ballot papers were issued overall and 155 people were initially turned away, with 97 of them later returning with correct ID.
But 58 people were not able to cast their ballot because of the new rules.
Requirements for voters to bring a valid form of photo ID with them were introduced in the run up to the elections.
Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch said the measures would protect the integrity of elections, eliminate fraud and make votes more inclusive by guaranteeing the opportunity to vote.
But critics including opposition parties, campaign groups and trade unions claimed the move amounted to gerrymandering and voter suppression while the Electoral Commission said the UK had low fraud levels.
Hull and East Riding councillors who contested elections in May had their say on the rules in light of the figures.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Jack Haines, elected in Hull’s Boothferry ward, said the new rules were dangerous.
Cllr Haines said: “It’s clear voter ID has had a terrible impact on elections not just in Hull but right across the country. Put simply, this policy was a sledgehammer to crack a nut, it was rushed through by the Government and left councils unable to prepare fully ahead of the local elections, this is completely unacceptable.
Now that this election has taken place and people have been deprived of the right to vote, the Government must urgently investigate the impact of their voter ID regulations before the next set of elections.
Labour’s Cllr Haroldo Herrera-richmond, elected in St Andrews and Docklands, said the new rules were designed to suppress votes.
Cllr Herrera-richmond said: “The premise which these rules were brought in under was false, why were some IDS like student cards not acceptable but passes for the elderly were.
“It was a quite cynical move by the Tory government, and the figures only show how many people were turned away not how many more were put off.
“I know of at least one middle class person who didn’t have the right ID so didn’t go to vote, he’s voted since he was 18 and he’s 48 now, this was the first election he’s missed.”
Cllr Linda Johnson, elected as a Liberal Democrat for Beverley’s St Marys ward, said even one person turned away was one too many.
Cllr Johnson said: “Those 58 people were unable to exercise their franchise, in some wards like Bridlington Central and Old Town and Cottingham North it came down to just a few votes so those 58 may have been really important, we’ll never know.
“I know of one person who was a soldier and fought in the Falklands War, he served Queen and country and he said he wasn’t going to vote this year because he was being made to prove who he was.
“If this happens during the general election it would be bad for democracy, we’re country that’s prided itself on our democracy we should be encouraging people to vote not restricting them.”
Conservative Cllr Leo Hammond, of Wolds Weighton ward and elected this year, said it was a shame that people were turned away but the new rules were necessary.
Cllr Hammond said: “I think both the council and Government did a good job of making people aware of the need to bring their IDS, I tried to let people know as a candidate but I know of a couple of people in my ward who were turned away.
“The claims about the Government doing this to gerrymander are rubbish, if anything it seems to have been older people who were most affected, people who have been voting for 60 or 70 years who might not have valid ID now.
“This is necessary to crack down on the serious issue of voter fraud, I know there’s low levels of it but it’s about the principle and if it had taken place it could have had an effect in the wards where the margins were small.”
Hull City Council Chief Executive Mr Jukes said: “Our polling station staff were provided with additional training to support voters to understand the new requirements.
The council is committed to ensuring that all those able to vote can do so.”