Voter ID plan could disenfranchise millions

VOTER ID is not about protecting our democracy. It’s about limiting our democratic freedom.

It might stop a dozen complaints of fraud, but could disenfranchise or disincentivise millions. Best for Britain has pointed to data which shows, as of 2015, 3.5 million citizens, or 7.5 percent of the electorate, did not have access to any photo ID.

The government also plans to dismantle the Electoral Commission watchdog and de-fang Judicial Review, which overturned the Prime Minister’s unlawful prorogation of parliament in 2019.

Mayoral elections in England will be returned to First Past the Post – the only countries in Europe which still use this antiquated system for national legislatures are the UK and Belarus.

If you take all these measures together, as a coordinated and insidious attack on the fabric of the United Kingdom’s democracy, clearly the government wants to avoid accountability, in parliament, in court and at the ballot box.

It is obvious progressive parties should work together to stop these measures, not just so they have a hope of enacting their own agendas, but to protect our democracy.

It’s about time we made our voting system fair so that election results actually reflect the will of the people and every vote is counted.

I think it’s about time we worked seriously to restore trust in our political system.

And until we have a fairer voting system, progressive parties must unite to resist the unchecked concentration of power in the hands of those at the top.

Kuba Kaminski

By email