Nearly 1,000 voters in Tyne and Wear were turned away from polling stations during last week’s local elections because they did not have a photo ID.
Last week’s poll was the first time that voters in England have been required to show a form of photographic identification, such as a passport or driving licence, when they went to cast their ballot. Opponents of the controversial new law, which the Government says is needed to reduce the risk of voter fraud, have branded it a form of voter suppression.
Local authority chiefs have now confirmed that, in the five Tyne and Wear councils where elections were held last week, 927 people were turned away from their polling station at their first attempt due to a lack of acceptable ID – 347 of whom then did not return to vote. And there are fears that the situation could be far worse by the time of the next general election, when turnout is expected to be far higher.
