Dozens of residents were turned away from voting at this month’s local elections in South Gloucestershire because they did not have the correct ID. A total of 58 people attending a polling station on Thursday, May 4, were refused a ballot paper because of controversial new laws requiring proof of identification for the first time.
Initially, 216 electors were unable to vote in the elections for the unitary authority and the district’s town and parish councils, but 158 of them – almost three-quarters – returned with accepted photo ID and cast a ballot. South Gloucestershire Council says it is “delighted” that 99.9 per cent of those who attended polling stations could vote.
The number of those denied the right to vote was much less than some other local authorities, such as Bradford where 1,261 people were initially turned away, of which 498 did not return to cast a ballot. But it was still significantly higher than several other councils, including Bromsgrove where 42 voters were rejected, of which 25 returned with correct ID, and Great Yarmouth, where 21 of the 42 people who were turned away came back to vote.
