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MPs will soon debate changes to the list of accepted ID cards voters can show to vote in UK-wide Westminster elections and all others in England.
The measures, being heard in the Commons on the 13th November, will let holders of the new HM Armed Forces Veteran Card use it as accepted photo ID, implementing a Labour manifesto commitment.
It follows revelations from Byline Times during this year’s local and general election campaigns showing that veterans – including one who served alongside then-Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer – had been blocked from voting under the Conservatives’ strict voter ID rules.
The tweaks will allow all types of Scottish National Entitlement Cards (Scottish NEC) to be used. Previously only travel-based Scottish NECs could be used, but now ones used for libraries or membership of council run leisure centres will be accepted.
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And it will also clarify that Zimbabwean passports can be used as photo ID. Zimbabwe, a former member of the Commonwealth, was accidentally excluded from the permitted ID list in the 2022 legislation.
But Labour MP Cat Smith told Byline Times the Government should go further. “Adding veterans cards is a very welcome first step, but doesn’t go far enough to include all those legitimate voters who were turned away at the last general election,” Smith said. Like many Labour MPs, she wants to see the policy scrapped altogether.
Tom Brake, director of the Unlock Democracy campaign group, said: “This is a missed opportunity. At the same time as extending the right to vote to veterans using the veterans card, the Government could also have extended the list of valid IDs for young people.
“We think they should have been even braver, and abolished the requirement to present ID at all. Labour, in opposition, rightly identified photo voter ID as unnecessary and discriminatory. It still is now they are in Government.”
Mark Kieran, CEO of pro-reform group Open Britain echoed those concerns, saying expanding the list of accepted IDs “misses the real issue”.
“The Voter ID scheme still places unnecessary hurdles between voters and the ballot box.
“These amendments don’t go far enough to ensure fair access for all, and we’re particularly concerned about the impact on marginalised communities who may still lack approved ID.” He called on the Government to do more to ensure elections are fair.
Veterans Won’t Be Able to Use Veterans’ ID Cards to Vote in General Election – Despite Rishi Sunak Claiming he is ‘Proud of Our Record Supporting’ Them After Skipping D-Day Event
A leaked memo by Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer revealed Rishi Sunak’s circle initially denied requests to allow the cards to be accepted over fears it would ‘open the floodgates’ to student ID cards
The Government says the Electoral Commission was consulted on the changes and no substantial policy objections were raised. The Electoral Commission has long been concerned about the risk of voters being turned away due to issues with identification.
A Lords committee noted this week that while the proportion of voters turned away appears small, “it is nevertheless equivalent to 16,000 people who were unable to cast their vote across Great Britain” in this July’s General Election.
“Moreover, it does not include people deterred from going to a polling station in the first place because they did not believe they had appropriate ID.”
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government says it will continue to keep all electoral laws under consideration “to ensure it continues to support electors’ participation in elections and effective electoral administration.”
Willie Sullivan, Senior Director of Campaigns for the Electoral Society, welcomed the move to expand the list of accepted IDs, but added: “Voting is a fundamental democratic right and even one person being denied a vote they are entitled to is one too many.
Fears of Mass Exclusion of Young Voters as Poll Reveals Numbers of 18-24 Year Olds Who Don’t Know About New Photo ID Rules
Young people, those with few qualifications, and voters in Scotland are least aware of new voter ID rules
“The Government needs to go much further and, at a minimum, vastly expand the types of accepted ID voters. But ultimately voter ID needs to be scrapped as it is clear that it is an unnecessary barrier to voting that is having a disproportionate and damaging impact on our democracy.”
Electoral Commission data suggests that people have been denied a vote around 40,000 times during last year’s English local elections, this May’s locals, and the General Election this July, due to the ID requirements.
On the impact of voter ID at the General Election, an MHCLG spokesperson added: “[The Government] has been evaluating the impact of the policy–as required by legislation – and will be publishing our report in due course.”
A Government spokesperson claimed plans for further reforms would be “[brought] forward in due course.”
“As our manifesto made clear, the Government will address the inconsistencies in voter identification that prevent legitimate electors from voting. We are currently considering what further changes should be made in order to achieve this.”
The proposed new changes will apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Voter ID rules in Northern Ireland (NI) are similar but separately regulated.
The Government told a Lords scrutiny committee that it intends to bring forward legislation to add the Veteran Card to the list of ID documents that can be used in Northern Ireland polling stations in advance of the next elections in NI in 2027.
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