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This Thursday’s local elections in England saw millions of people face the new photo ID requirements for the first time.
With even Boris Johnson turned away and one Conservative MP relying on an emergency proxy vote due to lacking the correct ID, Byline Times has heard from dozens of ordinary voters who also had major problems securing their right to vote on the day.
Several reported incidents highlighted confusion, frustration, and alleged voter suppression due to the need for strict – and varyingly enforced – forms of identification.
This included at least one case an army veteran being turned away, despite carrying an official MOD issued veterans card.
Here are some of the other accounts from individuals who experienced these issues firsthand, drawing on this outlet’s survey of voters. Or in some cases, rejected voters.
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Matt Dix, from Leeds, says he was turned away because a volunteer did not recognize him from his ID photo due to his current beard, again leaving him unable to vote.
Dix, 36, told Byline Times: “I think it’s an awful policy but hadn’t exactly expected to be the victim of it myself. I’m sure cases like mine are few and far between, but they’re also relying on the subjective opinion of a volunteer who does this one day a year, not as part of their day-to-day role…
“There is an emergency proxy option but only if your ID is lost or damaged – mine was not. So there was no possible way of voting without an alternative photo ID (which I don’t have) after that initial refusal…No support was given, referral to a helpline, someone to contact etc. Just a no.”
In Westminster, where the ID law was drafted, Luciana Custodio faced delays while staff at her polling station figured out the procedure for accepting her postal vote in person. The process included searching for the correct forms and confirming the signing requirements, which she says took over 20 minutes.
And Banseka Kayembe, Director and Founder of the site Naked Politics told Byline Times her experience suggested some marginalised groups could be particularly hard hit by the ID rules.
More from our VoteWatch24 Coverage
