Sefton Council said they are "appalled" after staff at polling stations received abuse from the public.
Labour romped to victory in Sefton local elections, gaining five more seats - including the party's first ever in Ainsdale - to increase the group's strong grip on the council. Sefton Council Leader Ian Maher thanked the hundreds of staff who have worked to make the election run smoothly.
However, he said he was "appalled" to hear that some of the 850 people who had staffed polling stations had received abuse from the public, as a result of the new, national voter ID requirements that were in effect for the first time.
READ MORE: Big night for Labour in Sefton as party gains five seats to increase majority
Cllr Maher said: “I also want to say how sorry I am that staff have been put in the position where they have had to endure abuse from the public, in no small part because of the new rules.
“We knew from the introduction of Photo ID requirements that this change would not be well received by some of our communities but to hear that our hard-working staff, who are simply helping people have their democratic say, have been subjected to horrid abuse is frankly shocking."
The measure was brought in by the government to stop votes being stolen. Since 2018, there have been 1,386 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to the police, according to the Electoral Commission.
Cllr Maher continued: “And sadly this is likely to have been repeated at polling stations across the country, which can only damage the democratic process and discourage some people from exercising their right to vote.”
A full list of results from the 2023 local elections in Sefton is available via www.sefton.gov.uk/elections.
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