Voting changes prompt fears among electoral staff for general election

A polling station in Eton High Street, Windsor, for the local elections in May. Voters must now show a document from a small list of photo IDs to cast their ballot. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock

The next general election could encounter significant problems due to a mass of changes to the voting system, including mandatory ID, piled on to an already “creaking” system, the trade body for electoral staff has warned in a report.

While the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) said voter ID was just one among a series of issues, it warned that the relatively smooth rollout of the new system at May’s local elections could be “very different” at a general election.