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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Peter Walker Senior political correspondent

Voter ID rule may have stopped 400,000 taking part in UK election, poll suggests

A sign taped to a red surface reading: 'Remember, you must have photo ID to vote in elections!' followed by a list of 21 acceptable documents
The rule that voters must show photo ID was introduced by the Conservative government as part of its 2022 Elections Act. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters

More than 400,000 people may have been prevented from voting in the general election because they lacked the necessary ID, with those from minority ethnic communities more than twice as likely to have experienced this, polling has suggested.

Of those surveyed by More In Common, 3.2% said they were turned away at least once last Thursday, which if reflected across the UK would equate to more than 850,000 people. Of these, more than half said they either did not return or came back and were still unable to vote.

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