Voter ID Has Damaged Trust in UK Elections, Study Finds

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Mandatory voter ID damages trust in elections far more than it improves it, a new study suggests.

Academics at Goldsmiths, University of London, conducted 1,000 survey interviews at polling stations across elections held in the UK between 19 October 2023 and 1 May 2025, finding that around 2–3% of voters who turned up were unable to vote.

Of those who could vote, many knew of others who were not attending because they were aware they lacked the required ID proof, according to the research.

And only 13% of all respondents said the voter ID rules had increased their trust in elections whilst 35% stated it had decreased their trust in elections, citing the fact that so many had been excluded. The policy was introduced by the Conservative Government in 2022 – on the explicit premise it would increase trust in the integrity of elections.

Previous research found that the introduction of the new voter ID policy “prevented at least 16,000 voters from casting their ballots at polling stations at the 2024 general election, with many more of the estimated 2.1 million voters who did not own acceptable ID deciding not to participate due to the new regulations,” the authors noted.

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And the problem the law was designed to prevent, ‘personation’, saw only seven convicted cases between the years of 2010 and 2022.

The authors identified six most at-risk groups from the policy: under-25s, low-income individuals, eligible immigrant voters facing language and documentation barriers, those with gender/sexuality/marital status issues, those who were neurodiverse, and those with disabilities.

A separate study from academics Toby James and Alistair Clark had highlighted the low levels of attempted personation at two elections. Their survey of poll workers found that only 0.6% of those surveyed suspected a case of electoral fraud on the day, and only 3.9% said they had a person asking to vote whose identity they were unsure of.

The new Goldsmiths research also points to a 2024 Fieldhouse et al. study, based on the British Election Study between May 2023 and July 2024, identifying that ‘at the time of the 2023 and 2024 local elections in England, approximately one in twenty electors did not own any recognized voter identification, and this was concentrated in poorer and less educated groups and among supporters of left-leaning political parties’.

Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has, since the policy was introduced, admitted it was a form of “gerrymandering” to try and suppress the non-Conservative vote. However, he noted that it may have backfired as many older voters were disenfranchised.

Voters in Scotland, the North-East, North-West, and West Midlands were the least likely to own appropriate ID, and those in London and the East of England the most likely to.

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Worryingly, the Fieldhouse et al. study also found that almost four times as many voters did not even attempt to vote due to the new regulations (1.9% in May 2023 elections) than those who were turned away at polling stations (0.5%). The independent Electoral Commission found in its own interim analysis a higher figure, of approximately 4% of people who did not vote in the elections citing the photo ID requirements as the reason why.

“Evidence collected on polling day by Democracy Volunteers, the UK’s largest election observation group, showed that in May 2023 and the 2024 general election, those turned away were disproportionally likely to be ‘non-white passing’, comprising 53% and 47% of turnaways respectively,” the Goldsmiths authors write.

The Government plans, through its current Representation of the People Bill, to expand the list of acceptable IDs to include bank cards and a digital version of the free Voter Authority Certificate, issued by councils. But it was described as only a “minor shift” by the researchers.

The Electoral Commission has estimated that the number of voters across Britain without acceptable ID is 750,000.

Lasting Damage to Trust

The Goldsmiths study found: “The 35% for who[m] the policy reduced trust consisted of the majority of respondents who identified not being able to cast their ballot at an election, but also many of those who could, but did not believe the policy was necessary and that it was brought in for political purposes, rather than to improve the security for elections.

“A key theme which was identified in many of this group was that the process of being denied their right to vote was such a negative experience that they would not reengage with the voting process at future elections. Many reported being extremely upset, embarrassed, humiliated or angry when they couldn’t vote, to a much greater degree than one might expect, given most people view voting as a relatively mundane activity.”

Young people also highlighted that they were less likely to hold driving licences or passports as they were “more often not able to drive or have travelled internationally,” while the exclusion of IDs such as young persons’ railcards and student IDs was seen as a poor decision.

“This difference was most starkly highlighted by the permissibility of the 60+ Oyster Card whilst the 18+ student Oyster Card was not sufficient to be able to vote,” the study found.

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Trans people also reported that being misidentified was their main concern, with photo ID often not reflecting their current names or appearance.

“if the Presiding Officer [does] not believe the photo was ‘a good enough likeness for you to be satisfied that the person presenting it is the same person’, they [can] be rejected. Thus, Presiding Officers must operate largely on personal discretion when deciding whether or not to allow a trans voter to cast a ballot.

“This led to some voters being refused ballot papers, but also caused high levels of stress and anxiety, meaning some voters did not even attempt…to go to the polling station,” the authors write.

Calls for Vouching

The academics recommend introducing “attestation” or “vouching”, where voters with permitted ID can attest to another voter’s identity at the polling station, allowing them to still cast a ballot when an official declaration is signed in the polling station. False attestation would be a criminal offence and could be limited to just one voter per election.

This is not currently planned by the Government in the elections bill. That is despite trials in Swindon which allowed for attestation, in addition to the use of polling cards as ID, seeing the lowest numbers of voters unable to vote. Canada uses a similar system.

Dr Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, told Byline Times: “Voting is a fundamental democratic right and even one person being prevented from casting a vote they’re entitled to is one too many.

“Since the introduction of voter ID, we have seen at least 40,000 people turned away from polling stations and not returning, and that number is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

“All the evidence now shows that voter ID is having a disproportional and damaging impact on a broad range of voter groups.

“It is welcome that the government is looking at measures to lessen the impact in the Representation of the People Bill. However, ministers need to ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast their vote on polling day without hindrance.”

The study by Sue Clayton and Harry Busz is called New Strategies for Voter Inclusivity in Great Britain, published by Goldsmiths, University of London. It is available here.

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