Voters across Greater Manchester have been urged to 'act now' to make sure they will be able to cast their ballot in the upcoming local elections.
Tuesday at 5pm marks the deadline to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate - the document voters must have if they don't have any other eligible form of identification.
Under controversial new rules, voters will need a VAC to vote at a polling station on May 4 if they don't have approved photographic ID, which includes a valid UK or EU passport, a photocard driving licence or a parking Blue Badge. Out-of-date photo ID can also be used as long as the image bears a true likeness.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
But as civic leaders in Manchester issued a deadline day plea today, the Manchester Evening News took to the streets to gauge opinion - and found fears the scheme could prove to be an 'obstacle' to democracy.
Concerns have been voiced nationally that people who forget to bring their ID with them to polling stations won't bother to go back home then return again, together with claims the scheme is stacked against young voters. Older people's bus passes are classed as valid, but younger persons' travelcards are not being accepted.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, however, insists that the vast majority of voters will already own an accepted form of identification, which includes driving licences, blue badges, NUS Totum discount cards and Freedom travel passes for older people.
The Lib Dems have suggested that 'selfish interests' of the Conservative Party, which has traditionally attracted greater support from older members of the electorate than younger voters, was behind the decision.
Those applying for a VAC need to supply a recent, digital photo of themselves along with their National Insurance number.
Applicants who do not have National Insurance details must provide alternative documents to prove their identity, such as a birth certificate, bank statement or utility bill.
As of last week, the number of people who had applied for a VAC was just under 70,000. That figure is far short of the Government's estimate that around 4 per cent of the population, equating to 2.1 million people, are likely to not have a valid form of photo ID to comply with the law change.
Compulsory photo ID will 'protect the integrity of democracy in the UK' and 'ensure the electoral system remains secure, transparent and fair for generations to come', the Government said when the proposals became law in April 2022.
But campaign groups the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy have warned as many as two million people in Britain do not currently have the right form of ID to vote - and the law has been vociferously opposed in Greater Manchester.
Earlier this year Bury Council called on the government to scrap the voter ID rules. Introducing the motion, Labour councillor Debra Green said the new rules would mean that 'instead of fixing the country, the Conservatives are going to fix the vote'.
"It's blatant disenfranchisement of significant sections of the population and is a betrayal of those who fought and in some cases died to enable us all to exercise our democratic rights," she said.
Coun Elliot Moss added: "In the 2019 elections there was only one conviction for impersonation at a polling station. This is a solution where no problem exists."
Joanne Roney OBE, Returning Officer for Manchester and the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, told the Manchester Evening News today: "Local elections are a familiar part of our city's democratic life but it's important to stress that they are different this year and people may need to act now to ensure they can vote on 4 May.
"These are the first elections taking place under new national rules which mean that people need to have eligible photo ID to be able to vote at polling stations.
"Many people will have this already and for them it's just a case of remembering to take it with them when they go to vote. This includes UK and EU passports and photocard driving licences and other designated documents. Even if these have expired they can still be used as voter ID as long as they are still a good likeness of the elector.
"But anyone who doesn’t have eligible ID will need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) by 5pm on Tuesday."
VAC applications can be made by post or online. To apply for a VAC online, visit the official government website here.
The Manchester Evening News found a degree of apathy over the scheme, with one voter without ID in Middleton saying they simply wouldn't bother applying to voter.
They said: "You need a picture ID, I don't have a picture ID so that's out of the question automatically. It sucks if you're me, but I can imagine most people do have IDs so they can do it. It’s not going to be for me, but that's life."
A woman in Failsworth, Oldham, added: "My passport ran out. I have no photographic ID now, that's one of my concerns - my mum and dad have nothing to vote with.
"It's good in some circumstances but otherwise it's a bit too much for the elderly, they are 87. And when you are disabled as well you don't want to go all that way and they have not got anything with photo ID."
In Manchester, married couple David and Morena Mfumo, 34 and 29, said they feel strongly that the new regulations were a huge obstacle to voters.
"It's already hard enough to motivate people to go out and vote," said Marena. "We live in Old Trafford, a low-income community. Many people here don’t have the resources or the time to dedicate to getting the necessary ID."
Afsanph Mahdipour is a 38-year-old mother of one who attends Trafford College.
"I'm happy with where I live and what the local council is doing," she said. "I enjoy living in a diverse community with a mix of people. I will vote, but I'm worried about the photo ID issue because it causes an issue for young people, who, for example, may not have a bus pass. I feel it is a bit of scam by the ruling party to prevent people voting Labour."
Ellen Baldock, 29, agrees. "There needs to investment in local services, street cleanliness and safety," he said.
"There needs to be meaningful investment in the future. But I think the photo ID issue is a big obstacle to people voting, but it won’t stop me.”
Retired toy warehouse manager Melvin Prince, 75, was favour of the photo ID regulations. "Why shouldn’t people provide identification?" he said. "It's nothing out of the ordinary. It prevents fraud so it doesn’t bother me."
Meanwhile in Urmston, 78-year-old retired history teacher Peter Chappell is primed to vote or Labour. He said: “I think the photo ID idea came from the Republican Party in the USA. That’s how Donald Trump got in, and the Conservatives seem to be copying the idea."
In Little Hulton, Salford, a woman who wouldn't give her name said: "I’m not voting, because I'm not turning up with my passport or driving licence. They are only doing it to stop people like us voting Labour. This Government is evil. The corruption is horrible.”
Georgia Kader, 33, said she doesn’t trust the photo ID system wither. "There are lots of people who think the photo ID thing is a scam, and will I think it will stop a lot of people from voting," she said.
More than 8,000 council seats in England are up for grabs on May 4 across 230 local authorities, ranging from small rural areas to some of the largest towns and cities.
Council chief Ms Roney added: "Our message is to check now whether you already have the ID you need and if not to apply for a VAC before the deadline. We simply don't want anyone who wants to vote to find themselves unable to do so because of the new national rules – either because they don't have eligible ID or turn up at a polling station without it."
The average number of VAC applications per day stood at 1,735 in the week to April 17, up from 873 the previous week.
Some 2,627 applications were submitted on April 14, the highest number on a single day so far. Just 6 per cent of all VAC applications have been made by people under 25, while 3 per cent have come from those aged 75 and over, according to analysis of Government data.
The Electoral Commission, meanwhile. said extra staff would be deployed at some polling stations to make sure voters are aware of the new rules and to help manage queues.
READ NEXT:
- Boy, 9, diagnosed with unusual condition after complaining of tummy ache
- 'My twin girls have both been experiencing cancer symptoms for the last six years, but only one of them is sick'
- Cleaner scarred for life and 'suffering flashbacks' from what she found in Manchester flat
- 'I genuinely thought he was going to kill me - then I noticed the big window behind him'
- 'My dad had his £37k life savings wiped out by his own granddaughter - the betrayal has been incomprehensible'
