Key Facts

• Clause 1 introduces photographic identification for voting at polling stations in Great Britain.
• The measure aims to protect the security and integrity of elections, addressing vulnerabilities that have led to potential fraud.
• A majority of the public (66%) support voter ID requirements.
• Clause 1 of the Elections Bill mandates photo ID for voting.
• The Minister argues against assumptions that ethnic minorities would face disproportionate barriers in obtaining ID.
• Voter identification is presented as a means to enhance electoral integrity.
• The Labour party has a process for putting constituency parties into special measures if there is evidence of fraud.
• Richard Mawrey testified that personation at polling stations is rare due to the risk involved.
• Cat Smith cites Government research showing that 2 million people lack appropriate ID and are hesitant about obtaining it.
• Cat Smith argues Labour constituency associations in special measures should have photo ID requirements.
• Trials for tight voter ID were only conducted in Woking, which is not representative of the whole UK.
• Northern Ireland introduced voter ID due to personation issues in the 1980s; a comparison is drawn with current UK politics.
• Electoral law is fragmented and confusing.
• The Law Commission called on the Government to create a single piece of legislation to rationalise election laws.
• There have been four cases of voter personation fraud in the last 10 years out of 243 million votes cast.
• Peterborough City Council installed CCTV at polling stations due to concerns over personation.
• The Association of Electoral Administrators warns about potential surges in applications for free voter ID during election periods.
• Implementing voter ID is estimated to cost £120 million.
• Cat Smith argues that voter ID trials disenfranchised hundreds of people.
• The statement cites concerns from Rob Connelly about urban areas being inadequately represented in pilot programs.
• Edward Leigh intervenes to urge calm during heated debate.
• Electoral fraud has occurred in the UK.
• Current electoral law makes it difficult to prove electoral crime cases.
• Richard Mawrey testified that the current legal standard for proving electoral crimes is too high.
• The cost of tax evasion in the UK Exchequer in 2018-19 was £4.6 billion.
• Leeds City Council is spending £10 million on a European city of culture campaign despite leaving the EU.
• The OSCE recommends that voter ID is necessary to guarantee election security.
• Postal vote fraud is a major concern according to witnesses.
• Richard Mawrey QC's judgment indicates postal vote fraud cases in Birmingham, Slough, and Woking.
• Lord Pickles did not initially recommend photo ID but later embraced it.
• Ailsa Irvine of the Electoral Commission admitted there is public confidence in the system.
• The MP acknowledges there is no substantial evidence of personation fraud.
• He cites Rob Connelly's statement that imposing ID cards on an existing democratic system without evidence is problematic.
• He mentions a court case in Braintree involving Neil Coughlan, which may provide further insight into voter disenfranchisement issues.
• Edward Leigh calls for Members to keep speeches relevant to clause 1.
• Voter ID measures are proposed as a proportionate solution to safeguard election integrity.
• Pilot data shows 340 electors (0.16% of votes cast) were asked to return with correct identification and did not do so.
• The report was prepared for the Electoral Commission in January 2015 by researchers from the University of Manchester and University of Liverpool.
• The London Borough of Tower Hamlets election is cited as an example where investigating personation would be incredibly time-consuming.
• An electoral card will be issued free of charge to address voter ID requirements.
• Voter ID requirement is seen as a solution in search of a problem.
• Personation, specifically voter fraud, carries high risks and has been addressed in previous cases.
• At least 2 million people across the UK lack adequate voter ID, approximately 3,000 per constituency.
• Issues include barriers for voters who misplace or forget their IDs on polling day.
• Age UK research shows that 2% of people over 70, equivalent to 180,000 older people in Great Britain, do not hold any form of ID proposed by the Bill.
• The Cabinet Office's own research indicates that having to present photo ID at polling stations would make voting difficult for 6% of people over 70, or around half a million people living in Great Britain.
• In Scotland and Wales, franchise extensions have been implemented without requiring voter identification.
• Edward Leigh addresses the Elections Bill.
• He mentions the principle of voter ID as a topic for discussion.
• Evidence of voter fraud and personation is cited from Peterborough.
• Councillors and activists who have gone to prison for voter fraud are now acting as tellers and counting agents.
• CCTV was installed at polling stations in Peterborough to combat personation.