Photo ID now a requirement to vote in the UK

[ddraig]

Unless there have been changes since this was published (Jan '22) No voter ID required in Scotland or Wales thankfully.

Scotland and Wales are right to reject Westminster's unnecessary Voter ID proposals - Politics.co.uk

Both the Scottish and Welsh governments have withheld legislative consent for the Elections Bill – and for good reason. Everybody can see how the devolved institutions have enhanced democracy with a more proportional representation in Scotland and Wales since 1999 while the present Westminster...

www.politics.co.uk

did wonder but it said uk in op link

 

[Puddy_Tat]

some of them perhaps but when i worked for a well-known local authority several years ago all staff were invited to volunteer for positions at all levels of responsibility (barring of course returning officer, which was taken by the la's chief executive)

one of my former colleagues (now some time retired) told me that presiding officers used to have to do something with sealing wax at the end of the poll, and that he nearly managed to set his ballot box on fire. apparently some of the papers were a bit singed round the edges...

 

[geminisnake]

did wonder but it said uk in op link

but everyone knows UK means England

 

[The39thStep]

Photo ID required here in Portugal . I’m just waiting for my shiny new EU standard biometric one .

 

[Ax^]

Photo ID required here in Portugal . I’m just waiting for my shiny new EU standard biometric one .

thats nice,

Brexit government bring us in line with the main land


have sneaky suspicion this is a backdoor route for the government to bring in Government ID cards like most of Europe
can be used to replace national insurance number , Voter id and your NHS number


sure the even have a buddy with an upcoming company with no experience to roll it out

 

[Elpenor]

my local authority is recruiting for polling staff. I’d actually be quite keen to do this, not just for the extra cash, but also to be a small part of the democratic process.

But the proposed changes have meant it’s something I’m not prepared to consider at present - I fully expect the changes to be scrapped at the last minute

 

[brogdale]

Now, unless I've got this massively wrong (delighted to be corrected btw)

It would appear that at the next round of elections, March 2023, there will be a requirement before being handed your ballot paper, to produce "photo ID"

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/

I suppose I should consider myself lucky in that I've got a photo driving licence AND a current passport, so should be able to vote

But what if you don't?

From the same article (above)


As I don't access live TV (hence news) and don't listen to much, if any, radio and vanishingly rarely get any newspaper I've not really heard much about this . . . well, I have, obviously, but I don't know how much this is "in the day to day"

So, this isn't a public service announcement (unless this is the first your aware of it) more a . . . what? I don't know . . . a resource for creative ways and means of peacefully(?) disrupting voting, I don't know. I'm not saying, mind you, that I think that'd be a bad thin

see also Voter suppression (UK)

 

[prunus]

This is my plan.

Something else I might do, if the application for the free id is online, is make an api to automatically apply for, I don’t know, one a day? more? And encourage as many people as possible to do the same. After all, one wouldn’t want to risk being disenfranchised by not having one to hand. And I am notoriously bad when it comes to not losing things like that…

 

[hash tag]

My mil does not have either a passport or driving licence. I doubt she has any photo I'd and the same will go for many people of a certain age.

 

[bluescreen]

I'd be very surprised if there's proper money available for the free online thing anyway. Foresee a massive failure to supply demand (and yes, I agree prunus we should all apply) which will necessitate last minute postponement of the grubby scheme.

 

[The39thStep]

my local authority is recruiting for polling staff. I’d actually be quite keen to do this, not just for the extra cash, but also to be a small part of the democratic process.

But the proposed changes have meant it’s something I’m not prepared to consider at present - I fully expect the changes to be scrapped at the last minute

I’ve done this as a counter and as a supervisor . It’s certainly interesting at least the first couple of times . A highlight was having to go through the spoilt ballots with the BNP candidate. One of the ballot papers had a spunking cock on it and one if it’s emissions was in the voting box for the BNP. I thought it best to take some time to discuss with him my reasons for disallowing it before moving on to the next paper which had a swastika in the BNP box and several others that had variations of ‘fuck the bnp’ written on them.

 

[Elpenor]

I’ve done this as a counter and as a supervisor . It’s certainly interesting at least the first couple of times . A highlight was having to go through the spoilt ballots with the BNP candidate. One of the ballot papers had a spunking cock on it and one if its emissions was in the voting box for the BNP. I thought it best to take some time to discuss with him my reasons for disallowing it before moving on to the next paper which had a swastika in the BNP box and several others that had variations of ‘fuck the bnp’ written on them.

I think I’ll definitely look to have a go in the future. Seems like there can be some interesting experiences

 

[Me76]

I'd be very surprised if there's proper money available for the free online thing anyway. Foresee a massive failure to supply demand (and yes, I agree prunus we should all apply) which will necessitate last minute postponement of the grubby scheme.

It does say in the op link the vac will only be available for those without photo id already. I would imagine it would check against passport and DVLA before issuing.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't put that to the test though.

My OH doesn't have photo id. We postal vote though so imagine wouldn't be affected considering they ask us to confirm about three times a year.

 

[prunus]

It does say in the op link the vac will only be available for those without photo id already. I would imagine it would check against passport and DVLA before issuing.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't put that to the test though.

My OH doesn't have photo id. We postal vote though so imagine wouldn't be affected considering they ask us to confirm about three times a year.

So how do they plan to prove that people haven’t lost their driving licence/passport?

I am a little bit drunk, I will admit, but I am a lottle bit furious with this blatant piece of franchise manipulation, and fuck it and fuck them.

 

[two sheds]

My OH doesn't have photo id. We postal vote though so imagine wouldn't be affected considering they ask us to confirm about three times a year.

I registered once years ago and don't remember them contacting me again apart from the postal vote itself.

 

[poppy60]

I can imagine a lot of people not bothering to vote anymore

 

[Karl Masks]

I can imagine a lot of people not bothering to vote anymore

And that's how the Tories won in 2024 lad. Before the Weetabix Wars, and the rise of RoboMurdoch

 

[Ax^]

I can imagine a lot of people not bothering to vote anymore

almost if it was part of the plan from the start

 

[brogdale]

Dear Mods, as we get nearer to the May local elections, I wonder if it might be worth a thread merge with the Voter Suppression (UK) thread?
Cheers.

 

[Pickman's model]

Dear Mods, as we get nearer to the May local elections, I wonder if it might be worth a thread merge with the Voter Suppression (UK) thread?
Cheers.

report the op and say this

 

[brogdale]

I can imagine a lot of people not bothering to vote anymore

Yep, especially given how little time there is before the first scheduled elections to require photo ID in May and the slow response from Local Authorities to gearing up for requests for the relevant "free" photo ID.

The electoral reform society have detailed the potential barriers to applying for the LA photo ID:

Whilst the certificate itself does not come with a charge – accessing it may not be cost-neutral. Voters may need to find somewhere to access a computer, pay for travel to a library or take time off work to match library opening hours.

As the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights:

“It’s not easy, or necessarily going to be a priority, to apply to your local authority for a free Voter Card if you’re working in an insecure job with irregular, unpredictable and long hours, or juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet while also managing caring responsibilities and health needs.”

You can explore the barriers/voter suppression process for yourself by accessing the relevant UK Gov. portal (how many marginalised voters/potential voters are going to even know that they might need to seek this out?) ...and if, like me, you don't have a photo ID driving licence or passport, you're invited to look at this list of accepted forms of photo ID:



and if, like me you don't have any of these, you're advised to renew you old paper driving licence (up to £21 cost) or get a photo card travel pass if over 60 (£10 in GL).

Failing that, you're advised to contact you Council's electoral services and I'm sure I'm not alone in having a council with a shit website and nothing about the “Electoral Identity Document”.

Even if you do get to the stage of applying for the “Electoral Identity Document” it is still at the discretion of the ERO whether they get issued. If a person struggles to provide the evidence of identity required by the ERO they may be asked to seek a reference for a "professional" to verify their identity.

The more you look at this voter suppression legislation, the more appallingly thorough and determined it appears.

 

[Ax^]

what the hell is a blue badge

does it have a little ship on it

 

[skyscraper101]

what the hell is a blue badge

does it have a little ship on it

Who can get a Blue Badge?

www.gov.uk

Blue Badges help people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination. You can apply for a badge for yourself, on behalf of somebody else or an organisation that transports people that need a Blue Badge.

 

[cupid_stunt]

what the hell is a blue badge

does it have a little ship on it

Disabled parking permit.

No ship.

 

[surreybrowncap]

Disabled parking permit.

No ship.

Unless you're a pirate with a wooden leg....

 

[Karl Masks]

Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’)

Apply for photo ID to vote (Voter Authority Certificate) in some elections and referendums in Great Britain if you do not have an accepted form of ID.

www.gov.uk

for those of us sans photo ID.

Doubly shameful is the (deliberate?) lack of awareness of this. No government mailshot, or mass communication on this issue. Where is Starmer in that regard? (Unless I'm mistaken)

 

[xenon]

So I wouldn't be surprised if many people are caught out. Who'd have predicted that.Not heard any discussion of this on LBC or the like.

 

[poppy60]

Apparently it was passed through parliament without any opposition.[Its what I have heard]

 

[dessiato]

I have both TIE, (photo ID card) and driver's licence for Spain. Despite these being EU issued, and, officially, acceptable ID in the UK, they are not accepted by anyone. They've been rejected as recently as yesterday.

Luckily I also have my UK passport, but I wonder how many officially acceptable methods of ID will be rejected for no good reason.

 

[not a trot]

Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’)

Apply for photo ID to vote (Voter Authority Certificate) in some elections and referendums in Great Britain if you do not have an accepted form of ID.

www.gov.uk

for those of us sans photo ID.

Doubly shameful is the (deliberate?) lack of awareness of this. No government mailshot, or mass communication on this issue. Where is Starmer in that regard? (Unless I'm mistaken)

Seen an ad about it a couple of times on commercial TV. Surely, the Beeb should run it as a public information film. But then I'm sure the Mail cunts would kick up a fuss.