Key Facts

• £32 million additional funding was provided for election delivery during the pandemic.
• Over 5,000 volunteers were sourced to support electoral teams.
• The Tower Hamlets mayoral contest in 2014 was declared void due to corrupt and illegal practices.
• Schedule 1 of the Bill includes a widespread and broad-based list of identification types accepted for voting.
• The Bill includes proposals that were trialled in 2019 where 2,000 people were turned away due to lack of proper ID.
• Of the 2,000 turned away, 700 did not return to vote.
• 98% of people already hold identification that will be required by the scheme.
• The free local voter card is available for those without other acceptable forms of ID.
• Northern Ireland has a similar system in place.
• The Bill introduces new limits on postal votes and proxy voting.
• Stealing someone's vote through intimidation or deception is made an offence.
• Returning officers are required to support a wider range of voters with disabilities.
• The 15-year limit on voting rights for British citizens living abroad is removed.
• Parts of the devolution settlements apply to electoral policy.
• The Bill will look at measures applying UK-wide for parliamentary elections.
• The Liberal Democrats take two opposite positions regarding expatriate voting rights.
• Part 2 of the Bill updates voting rights for EU citizens who were resident before December 31, 2020.
• Local voting and candidacy rights will be granted on a reciprocal basis with individual EU member states for those moving to the UK after EU exit.
• The Bill introduces a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission subject to parliamentary approval.
• Third-party spending is restricted to UK-based entities and registered overseas electors above a £700 threshold.
• Any change to the list of legal entities eligible to register as campaigners will be subject to affirmative procedure.
• The Minister has been speaking for 33 minutes.
• Many Members want to contribute to the debate.
• The Elections Bill is criticized for its potential to restrict voter participation.
• 3.5 million people do not have access to valid photo ID.
• Some groups, such as disabled, older, younger people, and those without financial means, are disproportionately affected by the photo ID requirements.
• The Elections Bill contains no details on how local authorities will roll out voter ID.
• Voter ID pilots were conducted in only 10 local authority areas in England, with only one area trialing the type of ID required by the Government.
• There have been four cases of voter impersonation fraud in the past 10 years from 243 million votes cast.
• Studies show voter ID requirements disproportionately affect voters from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• The Bill undermines the independence of the Electoral Commission, which is seen as political interference in election regulation.
• The legislation aims to strengthen an already Government-majority Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission.
• Since 2014, there have been 30-odd allegations and three prosecutions for primary voter fraud in postal votes.
• No election outcomes have been influenced by the aforementioned cases of voter fraud.
• The Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned that introducing voter ID may have a discriminatory effect on protected groups.
• The voter ID scheme is described as an illiberal idea in pursuit of a non-existent problem.
• There is no evidence supporting the need for such radical policy changes.
• Winterton argues that the bill will disenfranchise millions and entrench more powers with the Executive.
• The Elections Bill is seen as a measure more appropriate for the Republican party than in the UK.
• There are between 2 million to 3 million people without necessary identification to vote.
• About 9 million people are not registered to vote.
• The Elections Bill is described as a curate’s egg of a bill.
• Pre-legislative scrutiny by a Speaker’s Commission could have helped iron out issues.
• There are concerns about the list of acceptable forms of ID in schedule 1.
• Clause 1 proposes requiring photo ID at polling stations.
• Clause 25 deals with joint campaigning by registered parties and third parties.
• 91-year-old constituent gave up driving license due to housebound status.
• Constituent with multiple disabilities has never had a passport or driving license.
• Clause 1 aims to address personation in elections.
• Clause 2 restricts perpetual postal voting rights to three years.
• A new offence is introduced for handling postal votes.
• There have been convictions related to postal vote farming.
• The speaker had a trial on election expenses legislation which led to the clarification of candidate authorisation requirements.
• The Bill introduces new barriers to democratic participation.
• There were only 33 cases of polling station irregularities in an election with over 32 million ballots cast in 2019.
• Electoral fraud data details three convictions for in-person personation since 2014.
• The Elections Bill aims to introduce voter ID requirements despite a lack of evidence for mass voter fraud.
• Concerns are raised that this policy could disenfranchise many voters and weaken election oversight.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of encouraging wider participation in elections.
• The Elections Bill introduces a sanction to protect candidates from abuse in person or online.
• Two out of three women in the UK cited fear of abuse or harassment as a reason for not pursuing a career in politics.
• Miller supports extending tactile voting device requirements to broader accessibility measures.
• Election campaigns have been extended due to rewriting laws to include bank holidays and weekends.
• The Elections Bill is criticized for not addressing issues like the first-past-the-post electoral system, lack of public access to a constitution, or underrepresentation in the House of Lords.
• About 2.1 million people could be excluded from voting due to lack of recognisable photo ID.
• There were only 34 allegations of impersonation out of 58 million votes cast during the 2019 general election.
• Baker welcomes provisions in the Bill related to postal votes, proxy votes, voter ID, and undue influence.
• He cites examples of misuse of postal votes and foreign nationals voting unintentionally.
• Baker advocates for a digital fingerprint technique to ensure unique voting without a national database.
• The MP suggests protecting those making objections to electoral roll entries from intimidation.
• Martin Docherty is addressing the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution about concerns with the Elections Bill.
• The bill introduces voter identification requirements which Martin Docherty believes duplicates existing ID numbers.
• He highlights the difficulties faced by the Gypsy, Traveller, and Roma community in obtaining specific local authority IDs.
• He mentions the need to regulate unincorporated associations that may be used to fund political organizations and undermine democracy.
• The Bill requires voters to show an approved form of photographic identification at polling stations.
• A proposed voter card will be available from local authorities free of charge.
• Postal vote handling by party campaigners is banned under the Bill.
• Electoral sanctions are introduced to protect campaigners and elected officials from intimidatory or abusive behaviour both in person and online.
• The Bill is seen as an affront to democracy.
• A coalition of 19 Welsh organisations released a joint statement on voter ID proposals.
• The Welsh Government are allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote for the first time in Senedd elections.
• Clause 23 hands Ministers power to create conditions or remove certain bodies from participating in the electoral process.
• The spending limit for non-party campaigners is lowered to £700, effectively disqualifying many groups.
• There was a court case overturned due to postal vote harvesting and personation in Tower Hamlets.
• Voter ID laws are described as successful and implemented by a Labour Government.
• The Electoral Commission suggested 3.5 million people could be affected, but this number is now outdated.
• 99% of ethnic minority people have identification allowing them to vote under the Bill.
• At least 2.1 million people without photo ID may miss their chance to vote according to the Electoral Reform Society.
• The Bill aims to enshrine voting rights for EU citizens in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
• Bilateral agreements have been made with Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Poland for mutual voting rights.
• Costa met the secretary-general of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss potential bilateral agreements.
• The Government's proposals for voter identification seek to solve a problem which they have failed to demonstrate exists.
• In the pilot carried out by the Government in 2019, of the 2,000 people who were turned away from polling stations, 700 did not return.
• The Electoral Commission said that two thirds of voters would have more confidence in voting system security if there was a requirement to show voter ID.
• The introduction of photographic voter ID will cost taxpayers £120 million over 10 years.
• According to Cabinet Office figures, 42% of people without photo ID would not apply for a voter ID card.
• There was just one conviction for personation out of more than 59 million votes cast in the 2019 election.
• The Bill is seen as a threat to the independence and accountability of the Electoral Commission.
• The Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission now has a majority of MPs from the governing party.
• Joanna Cherry asks for an update on how many out of the 47 recommendations by the Committee on Standards in Public Life will be accepted.
• Keighley constituency is deemed at high risk of electoral fraud.
• One in five reports of electoral fraud come from West Yorkshire.
• Changes include shortening the time someone can register to vote by post, prohibiting political campaigners from handling postal votes, and limiting proxy voting.
• In 2017, approximately 1,000 people in Newcastle-under-Lyme were disenfranchised during the general election due to incompetence.
• A constituent felt insulted by administrative failure and wrote to the council chief executive about it.
• The Bill ensures that individuals vote once without duress or fraud.
• Free ID will be provided for all voters.
• The constituency has seen proven electoral fraud with local politicians convicted of offences.
• Postal vote rates in certain wards exceed the national average significantly.
• Council installed CCTV cameras at polling stations due to concerns about personation.
• In 2008, three Peterborough Labour candidates were convicted for electoral fraud involving postal ballots.
• The Elections Bill is estimated to cost £120 million over the next 10 years.
• More than 1,000 people were denied votes in pilot schemes due to lack of ID.
• There are just three cases of voter fraud under investigation out of numerous local by-elections held between January and March 2020.
• The Bill is seen as making voting more difficult for marginalized groups.
• Civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union warn UK Government policies will harm democracy.
• Age UK warns that compulsory photo ID could make 4% of over-70s less likely to vote, equivalent to 360,000 people.
• Labour Ministers supported the measure at its introduction, stating it would prevent electoral abuse without disadvantaging honest voters.
• Satisfaction levels with the electoral process are slightly higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK.
• The Electoral Commission reported that 83% of voters in Northern Ireland found it very easy to participate in elections in 2019.
• The Bill includes a new requirement for political parties to declare assets and liabilities over £500.
• 98% of people across age groups have access to accepted forms of photographic ID.
• Devolution means different election arrangements exist for devolved and reserved elections.