Tory MP has no voter ID to vote. Military veteran can't use his voter ID to vote

[cakeorwine]

What a shambles.

A Tory MP hasn't got any voter ID - so had to ask someone to vote for him by proxy.

An Afghanistan veteran used his veteran's card - and that's not on the list so couldn't vote.

Minister ‘sorry’ as veterans find ID cards not valid for English elections | Local elections 2024 | The Guardian

Is this what they planned - or is it a fuck up?

Johny Mercer will be looking at it for veterans - who will be looking at it for other people who haven't got ID.

The Tory MP blamed his dyspraxia. I hope he advocates in Parliament for other people who struggle to get ID. Or will that mean showing empathy?

What problem would compulsory ID solve?

Who said there was a specific problem to solve?

I think you have a very skewed idea of Tory voters if you think none of them could be affected by poor digital and literacy skills or having no photo ID.

Where I'm from there is a very large, not very well off, working class Tory group of voters.

So we are agreed there is no need for compulsory ID. Good.

Idiotically they have set it up so they can only change the list of accepted ID by enacting legislation. Which is glacial.

So in the same year as they brought out the initial legislation they made no provision for digital identity including
Veterans card - not new at all but being rolled out at scale in 2024
eVisa - the electronic replacement for a BRP so if you have right to remain but no longer have a physical doc your stuffed for the general election if that's your only accepted ID
None of the government certified apps like the Post Office EasyID.

This is the govt that has been pursuing a "digital first" agenda for over 10 yrs. 🤦🏼‍♀️

You might not see it, but all the available evidence suggests otherwise.

Don't have that problem in scotland.im labour voter 😁.
Not everyone is SNP but hardly any Tories

Yes I think it was a 'Rules don't apply to ME' moment.
Plus, you know, chance to get into the Papers.
'Oh, Boris, what a wheeze!!' (not)

I'd be impressed if I thought the government had actually managed to pursue the same policy for more than about 10 minutes let alone 10 years.

Last Westminster Election 25.1% voted Tory, 18.6% voted Labour. So unfortunately there's plenty of Tories in Scotland.

I do agree with you that there's a huge number of people who have real trouble with literacy and digital skills. A lot of older people want to vote but in our community centre they bring us their documents so we can help with anything involving the internet- like driving licences or insurance, or bank problems. I mentioned the other day about voter id and they had no idea.

Thanks for that,I've never dug into stats ,I understand there would be pockets of Tory support in Scotland particularly in affluent areas.
Doesn't detract from they are hardly the champions of the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Johnson's ego knows no bounds

"Boris Johnson has thanked three villagers who turned him away from a polling station on Thursday for attempting to vote without a valid ID.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Johnson said he attempted to use a copy of Prospect magazine as a form of identification, but was turned away by local electorate officials.
Mr Johnson wrote:
I want to pay a particular tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away when I appeared in the polling station with nothing to prove my identity except the sleeve of my copy of Prospect magazine, on which my name and address had been printed.

I showed it to them and they looked very dubious... within minutes I was back with my driving licence and voted Tory."

Johnsons performance about 'forgetting' his voter ID then later thanking those who sent him home for proper ID for 'doing their jobs properly'. SUCH a wanker!

February 2022 was when the first lot of Veteran ID cards were introduced. I know DH got his around then because he used it to prove he’d served when we were looking at buying a new build, it meant we could get a discount. Apart from that it’s never come out of his wallet.