Local elections 2023: Voter ID rule should be scrapped, Manchester councillor says

The Electoral Commission is looking into how requiring voters to bring ID to the polls, but one Manchester councillor said it should be scrapped.
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A controversial new law which required voters to bring photo ID to the polls in order to vote for their councillor in the local elections should be scrapped, a Manchester councillor has said.

Coun Pat Karney called the rules, used for the first time in the 2023 council elections, “badly thought out and hugely expensive” and said they need to be axed.

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The Electoral Commission has said it is now going to review the requirement for voter ID and assess how well it worked at polling stations across the country.

What did Coun Karney say about voters needing ID for the local elections?

Coun Karney spoke out about voters needing ID for the local elections in a response to the Electoral Commission publishing a statement about it on social media. He said Manchester City Council will contribute to the review but strongly criticised the rules.

Coun Karney said: “One person turned away is a denial of democratic rights. Only the hard work of election staff prevented lots of problems. The new law was badly thought out and hugely expensive. It should be scrapped.”

The Electoral Commission acknowledged there had been some issues, saying hat the new ID requirement ‘posed a greater challenge for some groups’ and that some people were ‘regrettably’ unable to vote as a result. However, it thanked electoral staff for their work preparing for the implementation of the new measures.

A sign at the local election reminding voters they need to bring ID. Photo: Getty ImagesA sign at the local election reminding voters they need to bring ID. Photo: Getty Images
A sign at the local election reminding voters they need to bring ID. Photo: Getty Images
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In a statement the Electoral Commission said: “These were the first set of polls to take place since the voter ID requirement came into force. Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run.

“Across the country, votes were cast throughout the day and in line with the law. This is in large part thanks to the dedication of electoral administrators, who have worked hard to prepare for today and for the implementation of this new measure.

“Confidence in the overall picture, however, should not overlook other impacts which can only be revealed through detailed data collection and analysis over the coming weeks. We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections. The Commission has already started this work.

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“We are collecting data from polling stations about the numbers turned away and returning, and carrying out national public opinion research to collect data about voters’ experiences. Given the fundamental role played by electoral administrators, it will also be vital that we hear from them about their experiences of the day, as well as other participants in the elections, including candidates.”

The Electoral Commission is an independent agency which regulates party and election finance and sets standards for how elections should be run. The government has previously said that it wants to ‘ensure maximum participation in elections while protecting the integrity of the ballot box’.