After the misrule of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, and their cronies cashing in on Covid, only 6% of people now say they have full trust in our political system, which is alarming. Given the widespread cynicism about Westminster, it’s unsurprising that people may be barely shocked when those in power start dismantling democracy. But serial constitutional assaults by the current regime are growing more visible and egregious. Today, electoral administrators warn that the voting system may collapse under Tory changes.
The Electoral Commission has reported that the government’s introduction of voter ID resulted in 14,000 people being turned away from polling stations at the local elections. It found it likely that people with disabilities and people who were unemployed or from ethnic minorities were more likely to be refused a vote for lack of a driving licence, passport or official ID from their local council. The true number of those not voting due to ID requirements could have been at least 400,000, suggested the commission, with 4% of non-voters saying the new rules had put them off. The near-40% of polling stations with “greeters”, who told voters they needed ID, did not record how many voters they deterred.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking at the hard-right national conservative jamboree last month, made a statement that suggested the new voter ID rules were an attempt to gerrymander. He said that the old system worked “perfectly well”, and admitted somewhat ironically that “the people who didn’t have ID were elderly and they, by and large, voted Conservative, so we made it hard for our own voters”. Indeed, the old system worked so well that there were no proven cases of “personation” last year.
The true intention behind these rules was always shamelessly obvious: why else was the over-60s Oyster card acceptable ID, but not the 18+ card? When the Lords voted to expand eligible ID to include bank statements, bills, library cards, student ID and others, the government struck that out. This was deliberate voter suppression, the Tories as ever copying their US Republican cousins. It began when David Cameron banned universities and colleges from automatically registering students, so if they were away from home in term time, they could still vote. The only reason the government bars electronic voting is because it fears it would encourage young people, though the Tories use electronic votes for their own internal membership elections – the crucial ones that in recent years have selected prime ministers over our heads.
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, responded to the Electoral Commission’s findings by arguing that the rules were having a “chilling effect on democracy”. In power, Labour could instantly restore the Lords’ proposal for almost any ID to be acceptable. At the same time, it could bring in automatic registration of all voters so none are excluded, such as private renters. Wales is already planning a pilot scheme to do this.
These voter ID rules will create far worse turmoil at the general election. With many more people voting, many more will be turned away. A report from the Association of Electoral Administrators warns of potential chaos. Angry queues will be just another sign of how this government is stripping away the basics of democracy.
According to Greg Stride of the Local Government Information Unit, voter ID requirements have made it even harder to recruit staff for polling stations. Paid just the minimum wage, many are now reluctant to do ID checks, he said. In the local elections, administrators borrowed staff from nearby councils that were not holding elections. There will probably be no staff to borrow in a general election, so polling stations could be amalgamated, making them harder to reach. Government changes will put unbearable pressure on the general election. Stride says that if voter ID requirements lead to many more postal votes, he fears that the Royal Mail may not be able to deliver votes on time.
Labour is considering lowering the voting age to 16, to urge younger people to vote. It should go further, and get schools to register them and teachers to take them to polling stations. If people vote once, it becomes a lifetime habit. But most importantly, it would tip public spending back towards young people. Imagine if candidates canvassed sixth-form voters as eagerly as they did care home residents. As voters over the age of 70 are three times more likely to vote Tory than those aged between 18 and 24, the Tories are already raging against Labour’s proposals and damning any Labour plans as gerrymandering, with the Daily Mail, as ever, misrepresenting them. Opponents may struggle to prove that 16- and 17-year-olds are less responsible than the voters who gave us Brexit and Boris Johnson.
“Take back control” was not meant to give absolute control to ministers’ whims. Who votes and by what system may now barely matter. The government’s “Brexit freedoms” bill has made it easier to amend or repeal EU laws while sidelining MPs’ ability to amend or reject these changes. The Lords has been honourably resisting the bill, but it can be overturned by the Commons. Even so, this doesn’t justify the shameful state of nearly 800 unelected peers in an upper house packed with too many donors and chums to list. Labour has promised a democratic chamber: that will take time. But on day one, it could start by barring bishops and hereditaries, and forcing each party to cut their numbers with mass evictions.
Proportional representation will be demanded again by Labour members at the party conference, backed by all main unions (bar the GMB). If anyone thinks this a matter for anoraks, YouGov finds that 45% of people are in favour of proportional representation, as opposed to 28% who prefer first past the post. A report from the thinktank Compass shows how Britain’s extreme levels of poverty and inequality partly result from an electoral system that ignores all but a handful of swing voters in marginals: a warped voting system warps all political priorities.
In power, Labour could restore trust in democracy and reconnect voters to government. It could be done immediately, with no referendums, just as the Tories changed a fair voting system for mayors and police and crime commissioners to first past the post (they found the alternative vote disadvantaged them, as the Tories are rarely anyone’s second choice). Be fearless, just do it in that first flush when either a stonking win or agreement with the Liberal Democrats sweeps all before it. Remember how, the day after an election, the old regime is banished, its banshee press howling in the wilderness.
For now, quite rightly, Labour’s ruthless strategy is never to be diverted. Its rule is to have an absolute omertà on anything except the cost of living, NHS and green prosperity investment for growth and jobs. That’s it. The Tories would love a row on voting systems instead. The day after victory, opening the books on a destitute public realm and soaring debt, Labour will face hard yards. But democratic reform costs nothing and yields huge majority support. Once in power, Labour should make it happen fast.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
