Stark Figures Reveal How Many Londoners were Turned Away Due to Voter ID in General Election

Nearly one in four voters who were turned away from polling stations in London due to issues with photo ID did not return to cast their vote in July’s General Election, new figures reveal. 

The data, obtained by Labour London Assembly chair Len Duvall AM, show that out of 5,495 voters who were initially turned away across 29 London boroughs, 1,521 did not come back later in the day. This means they were effectively denied a vote. 

These figures do not account for those who did not even attempt to turn up and vote because they lacked the necessary identification.

The General Election took place just two months after the London mayoral elections, where voters were also required to present identification. Data obtained by London Assembly Labour then revealed that a similar number of voters, 5,065 from 25 boroughs, were turned away during the London elections in May. Among these, 1,426 did not return to vote.

The new Labour Government has committed to conducting a “thorough evaluation” of the voter ID rules, though governing party’s manifesto shied away from calls – including from many MPs and activists – to scrap the policy altogether. 

The requirement for photographic ID was introduced by the last Conservative Government, despite data showing that there were only 33 allegations of impersonation at polling stations out of more than 58 million votes cast in UK elections in 2019. Just a few were proven. 

Findings from the official Electoral Commission show that 4% of non-voters in the 2023 local elections abstained from voting due to the new photo ID rules. 

The Commission also discovered that private renters, the unemployed, those on lower incomes, and disabled people were less likely to possess the necessary ID to vote.

Len Duvall is also the Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham, with Greenwich seeing the highest number of voters turned away in July according to the new figures. 

Duvall said: “It is extremely worrying that so many Londoners were disenfranchised because of the previous Government’s photo ID rules. These figures show just how burdensome the new requirements are, with many not having the right documents to hand when heading to the polling station. 

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“This is especially concerning in light of how recently Londoners went to the polls – we were asked for ID to vote only two months before.”  

The Labour figure added: “Make no mistake: these rules were brought in because the last Government thought it would keep away those people less likely to vote for them. I am pleased that the new Government will be undertaking a thorough evaluation of Voter ID so we can make sure everyone can have their voice heard.” 

Barnet, Harrow and Hillingdon councils did not respond to Freedom of Information requests. Southwark however explicitly refused to provide data, claiming that Returning Officers are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. 

The fact that 29 out of 33 authorities responded in full suggests that this reasoning does not stand up to scrutiny, if the council holds the data. 

The Electoral Commission is expected to publish its full assessment of the handling of the impact of voter ID in September, with a wider report on the General Election due later in the Autumn.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told Byline Times: “These findings are incredibly concerning. This Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and making sure every legitimate voter can exercise their democratic right to vote.

“That’s why we will conduct a thorough evaluation of voter ID rules, to understand how they impacted voters, before bringing forward firm proposals in due course.”

The Government is expected to make amendments to the voter ID rules to address “inconsistencies” in the policy. This could include expanding the number of IDs available to young people, and will include adding veterans’ IDs to the list. 

This is likely to follow the findings and recommendations of the Electoral Commission. 

A spokesperson for the Royal Borough of Greenwich said: “We want to make sure as many of our residents as possible are able to exercise their democratic right to vote and during the General Election 99.9% were able to do so with us…

“We never want to turn an eligible voter away from a polling station. Residents who do not have an eligible form of voter identification can apple for a free Voter Authority Certificate on the government’s website.”

Council figures show one in a hundred voters there were turned away due to issues with ID on July 4th, though 69% of those returned to vote later.

If the UK-wide rate of voter ID rejection was just a third that of Greenwich’s, over 150,000 people would have been turned away over ID issues, with some 50,000 of them not returning later to vote.

Update 3pm: This piece has been amended to add in the data from the London Borough of Newham. We have also corrected a reference to “out of over 58 million votes cast at the 2019 General Election”. The figure refers to all votes cast in the UK in 2019.

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Full Stats by Borough

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