Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Elections Bill: Voter ID

Thursday 9 December 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The commission's independent evaluation of the Government's pilots found no evidence that turnout was significantly affected by the trialled introduction of an ID requirement at polling stations.
  • The hon. Gentleman is right that barriers should not disproportionately affect sections of society that are already faced with other barriers.
  • The commission has identified certain demographic impacts of the proposed voter ID requirements.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Steven Bonnar
Democracy & Elections
Context

The Committee is assessing the potential impact of introducing voter ID on electoral participation.

Question

What recent assessment has the Committee made of the potential effect on electoral participation of the proposal in the Elections Bill to introduce voter ID?

Answer from Chris Matheson

The commission's independent evaluation of the Government's pilots, which were held in 2018 and 2019, found no evidence that turnout was significantly affected by the trialled introduction of an ID requirement at polling stations. However, it was not able to draw definitive conclusions, particularly about the likely impact at a national poll with higher levels of turnout. The commission has recommended that any ID requirement should be secure, accessible and realistically deliverable.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide concrete evidence or statistics on voter participation effects; instead referred to pilot studies without conclusive results.

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Q2 Steven Bonnar
Democracy & Elections Standards & Ethics
Context

Disabled people face significant challenges with voter ID requirements and reduced support at polling stations under the Elections Bill.

Question

Does the hon. Member agree that the Bill—through its voter ID requirements, and loosening support for the blind and partially sighted—is unjust and undermines the rights of those who are most vulnerable to exercise their vote?

Answer from Chris Matheson

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to say that if we are putting barriers in place in order to protect the sanctity of elections, those barriers should not disproportionately affect sections of society that are already faced with other barriers. The commission has identified certain demographic sections of the population, including people with disabilities, who might be more affected by voter ID proposals. It is also important that voters with disabilities can be confident of the support that will be available to them at polling stations when they vote, wherever they live. The commission will work with returning officers to ensure that they understand the new duty to provide any reasonable equipment that could help someone to vote. It will also provide guidance and set standards to help to ensure that all voters receive a consistent level of support.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address whether the Bill is unjust or undermines disabled voters' rights; instead focused on ensuring accessibility and supporting disabilities at polling stations.

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