Forty thousand mirrors will be bought by the state to carry out “warped priority" ID checks on voters.
All Brits will have to show photo ID to vote for the first time at next May’s local elections after a Supreme Court challenge failed.
Campaigners already fear the £12m-a-year anti-fraud drive, despite a tiny number of fraud cases, will cut vulnerable groups out of democracy.
Now preparations have taken a surreal twist after a minister said councils will have to buy 40,000 mirrors - one per polling station.
They will be placed behind “privacy screens”, allowing people in religious headgear or face coverings to have their identity checked away from public view.
Together the mirrors and screens are set to cost £1.3million.
Labour MP Luke Pollard obtained the information in a parliamentary question.
He said: “At a time when families are struggling to access public services, making councils buy 40,000 mirrors is a howling waste of public money.
“This government cannot be trusted to look after taxpayers’ money.”
Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “This is yet another result of the government’s warped priorities when it comes to our elections.
“Instead of encouraging more people to vote, they’re putting up barriers instead.
“Now ministers find themselves faced with finding solutions to the problems their own ID policy has created for voters.
“It’s vital people’s needs are addressed when attending a polling station but it’s not just the lack of mirrors and privacy booths that will deter voters - it’s the unnecessary requirement to show photo ID.”
The mirrors themselves are only estimated to cost £1.04 each, but the privacy screens they come with are estimated to cost £31.14 each.
There were just 171 allegations of in-person voter fraud at a polling station from 2014 to 2019 - of which three led to a conviction.
The government previously estimated the scheme will cost between £65m and £180m over the next 10 years, with a “central estimate” of £120m.
Costs also include £55m on more detailed polling cards, which will have to change from A5 to A4 size and be posted in envelopes for the first time.
Another £15m will be spent by councils producing plastic “voter cards” for the estimated 2.1million Brits who may not have suitable ID.
The extra admin also means nearly 20,000 more poll clerks will be needed on election days across Great Britain, costing £20m in staff over the decade.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We are implementing voter identification in a way that works for all voters, including those with protected characteristics. Money for any new equipment will be provided by central government.
“Photographic identification has been successfully used in Northern Ireland elections since 2003.
