Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Voter ID: May 2023 Elections

Thursday 9 March 2023 · 3 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 Speaker's Committee has not had discussions with the Electoral Commission on estimating the number of voters turned away for lack of ID.
  • The Electoral Commission will undertake public opinion research to understand why people did or did not vote.
  • The Electoral Commission is focused on ensuring elections are delivered successfully to the highest standard.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Democracy & Elections
Context

The new voter ID regulations are causing concerns about the number of voters being turned away at polling stations.

Question

Whether the committee has had discussions with the Electoral Commission on whether it plans to make an estimate of the number of voters turned away at polling stations for not having acceptable ID on 4 May 2023.

Answer from Cat Smith

The Speaker's Committee has not had discussions with the Electoral Commission on this matter. The commission will publish a full report covering how the new voter ID requirement was implemented, collecting data from every local authority that held elections about voters who did not bring an accepted form of ID to the polling station and were unable to vote.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer did not provide a direct estimate or plan by the Electoral Commission to measure voter turnout impacted by lack of acceptable ID.

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Q2 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Democracy & Elections
Context

There are concerns about the accuracy and comprehensiveness of data collected by the Electoral Commission regarding voters turned away due to lack of acceptable ID.

Question

How can the Electoral Commission collect data on voters who turn away before they even get into the polling station?

Answer from Cat Smith

The commission identified that as a potential issue and will undertake public opinion research on the reasons why people did or did not vote in the elections. However, polling station staff cannot collect data from those who do not go into the polling station.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer provided information about future plans but did not specify current methods for collecting data on voters turned away before entering polling stations.

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Q3 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Democracy & Elections
Context

Concerns about the impact of new voter ID regulations on democracy and potential challenges to election results.

Question

Does the hon. Lady agree that the plans should be halted for the May elections and scrapped altogether?

Answer from Cat Smith

The issue of elections being challenged would be a matter for the courts, not the commission. The commission is doing everything possible to ensure polls are delivered successfully to the highest standard. There remains an established petition process to challenge election results under certain circumstances.

Not addressed: The hon. Lady did not directly address whether she agrees with halting or scrapping voter ID regulations.

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