Stop the government’s dangerous plans to deny people the vote

On May 3rd 2018, 350 people were denied a vote in their local council elections. On 2 May 2019, 740 people were turned away from polling stations. Their crime? Not possessing the right ID. The minister hailed these trials of mandatory voter ID a 'success'. The government has a very worrying definition of success.

We’ve seen from the US just how dangerous strict mandatory identification laws are – they are used to deny disadvantaged voters a voice. Here in the UK, 3.5 million citizens do not have access to photo ID and 11 million citizens do not have a passport or driving licence.

Evidence from around the world shows that forcing voters to bring photographic ID to the polling station just makes it harder for ordinary voters to be heard.

With trials already underway for 2019, we do not need more barriers to stop people taking part in our democracy. Help us stand up to these plans – sign the petition today.

Sign the Petition

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Petition:

Requiring voters to present identification at the polling station is a dangerous and undemocratic response to the extremely rare incidence of voter fraud. 

• If mandatory ID were to be rolled out nationally, it could potentially result in tens of thousands of voters being denied a say. 
• The 2018 trials failed to provide evidence to support the roll-out of mandatory ID across the UK - the impact of ID requirements on fraud and public confince in the integrity of elections cannot be ascertained. 

In the face of real democratic threats, imposing voter ID is like rearranging the deckchairs of our democracy while we head towards an iceberg.

Background:

The government trialled mandatory ID at the 2018 and 2019 English Local Elections. In 2018 Gosport, Swindon, Woking, Watford and Bromley took part. In 2019, Mid Sussex, Watford, North West Leicestershire, Derby, Craven, Braintree, North Kesteven, Broxtowe, Woking and Pendle took part. Voters were required to bring a form of identification, with each area testing different restrictions.