THE Tories' controversial multimillion pound proposal to bring in photo-IDs for future general elections will be outlined in today's Queen's Speech.
The plan is being touted as a means of tackling fraud – but critics claim it could deter poorer and ethnic minority voters from taking part in democracy.
It will be included in Tuesday’s Queen’s speech, which will set out the Government’s post-pandemic priorities and the laws it intends to pass in the forthcoming parliamentary session.
Johnson’s government first committed to introduce ID checks at polling stations in October 2019 – for both parliamentary elections in Great Britain and local elections in England – but the plans failed to materialise during the last parliament.
It is now expected requirements for ID will be included in an Elections Integrity Bill – forming one of around two dozen pieces of legislation that will be unveiled during the State Opening of Parliament.
A requirement that all voters carry photo ID could impede people who wish to turn up at polling stations without planning ahead, given about a quarter of voters – often younger voters – do not have either a passport or driving licence, critics say.
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The UK Government has previously said people would be able to apply for a voting ID card from their local council, although this would have to be done before polling day. Early trials in some areas led to hundreds of voters being turned away.
The senior MP David Davis told The Independent the “unnecessary” and “pointless” proposals should be abandoned by the government.
“It’s yet another unnecessary ID card approach from the government,” the former cabinet minister said. “There’s no evidence that I’m aware of that there is a problem with voter fraud at polling stations.”
“It’s actually quite difficult to do,” he added. “Somebody else might turn up, they might have voted already. It’s addressing a problem that is not there and it’s impinging on people’s privacy and convenience.”
“It’s illiberal. It’s an illiberal solution in pursuit of a non-existent problem. If you’ve got an ID card, you’re putting a barrier in the way of people to exercise their own democratic rights, which is not necessary and shouldn’t be there.”
The Scottish Greens have also criticised the move in the past, with co-leader Patrick Harvie saying it will result in “marginalised people losing their ability to vote”.
He added: "We’ve seen disturbing evidence of voter suppression strategies in many other countries, and this looks like an obvious attempt by the UK Government to do the same thing here. ‘Papers please!’ is the cry of an authoritarian regime, and must not become the norm in our polling stations. It can only lead to marginalised people losing their ability to vote, with the result that politics will continue to look after those already well served."
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