Voting ID is a nonsense

[Cranmer]

They asked to see my ID at the polling station door, but I went to the desk and could have said I was anyone. Should they not check it against your name and address, not just randomly look at the picture at the door?

All this does is put people off voting as they can't be bothered to get their passport out the drawer. Grrrrr

The argument for not doing it at all is that in person voter fraud is virtually non-existent already, it's costing a huge amount of money and it makes voting harder.

The tories do not give a fuck about voter fraud. They like the idea because such schemes disproportionately disadvantage the type of people who are not traditional tory voters. They are just a bunch of corrupt bastards holding onto power through any means necessary.

There is considerable difference in the political history of Northern Ireland

By which, FTAOD, I do not mean the average voter in NI is more likely to commit fraud.

Erm that was extremely patronising and insulting but fine.
I am actually thinking rationali, also intelligent enough to manage IDs and carry some.

The thing you failed to consider is that I am not saying there is widespread voter fraud.
As I said, not far away a candidate eon by 16 votes. So no, I am not imagining some maasive conspiracies here. I was simply asking and I still don't fully understand how is it proven whether there is or isn't fraud when nothing was stopping Jennie from ward A to go and vote in ward C as someone she knows will not vote.

Basically the same way we know there are no unicorns.

If you believe something is important enough for one person/party to commit a major fraud conspiracy, why would it not be important enough for the other people/parties to be watching for it?

We can all imagine things that could happen, but actually the rational thought process tells us that if something that matters is happening, it will be uncovered.

If you think that there is a mass conspiracy to commit voter fraud by personation, but no one else has spotted this happening, you are a conspiracy theorist.

Regarding no one calling you - there's plenty of reasons why you personally may not have been knocked/called. But political parties do loads and loads of it.

I know it comes over as patronising but you are not being rational. It is a bit like when someone who believes in aliens asks you to prove they don't exist. Your position is faith-based, you are just imaging something is happening when there is no evidence to support your position.

Why don't you explain the process by which a political party recruits the right number of people - in your case they surely need about 40 to be sure of winning. What is the incentive for the people involved to do this? Are you imagining they are paid?

Why do you think 'Jennie' would do this?

I worked as a poll clerk yesterday. It was a none issue in my area. Everyone knew. Literally a handful forgot it (licence not in wallet type scenario) and all but one popped back.
The people outside aren’t official poll centre staff they are tellers from the parties trying to see who has voted.
Inside it was old school cross name off on list with pencil and ruler and see ID. We had a card listing acceptable ID and a booklet. All used buss pass, drivers licence or passport. We had no council issued voter ID. We were hoping for some more unusual (it’s a long day!)
In a small area it was often a case of hiya how are you, still need to check ID even if they were well known to you.

I like how I am being called irrational yet posters are comparing voter fraud to unicorns and aliens🤷🏻
Fine. Britain is special doesn't need IDs because there is no fraud. I admit defeat

Though again I wasn't arguing about whether there is or isn't considerable fraud but how is it actually proven that there is/isn't

There isn't much fraud in the US either, it was talked up by Trump

If you can show me some evidence of UK voter fraud by personation, I will believe it. And unicorns and aliens too!

I have no idea about US voting. Not sure why it keeps cropping up.

What proof would that be though when there was no check who is who anyway? That's was my question, not "hurrdurr there is loads of fraud".

I was a Presiding Officer at a Polling Station yesterday, everybody was asked at the desk where they collect their ballot papers and it was checked against the register. Every single person at our brought ID but the amount of moaning, complaining and ranting about having to show it was off the charts...

It has been explained so many times, on the thread, and in articles, and in debates.

Electoral fraud data | Electoral Commission

If a crime is not happening, why do we need to take action to prevent it happening @Deadpalm ?

Ours did it properly, looked at me and compared to picture then checked address against poling card and their register.

I do worry though that it has and will impact on voter numbers. Some people wouldn’t have ID and might have struggled to get the one on offer for some reason.

I was a PO yesterday. Similar experience - bus passes, driving licences, passports (including EU) and only one govt issue voter ID certificate.

A couple of opinionated men spoiling for an argument about the rights and wrongs. They got ignored.

I did sadly have to refuse 3 voters without ID. They could've returned but didn't bother.

So literally nobody was disenfranchised on my watch, I'm pleased to say.

The rules and guidance were set out clearly and in my view were not open to interpretation. But remember that all poll station staff were new to the rules too, and we do the role once in a blue moon.

Although this from John Curtice made me laugh: In fact, if anything, Labour tended to do rather better in wards where turnout fell most as I am not sure that was the intended outcome!

One of the main proposals that people will need to re-apply every few years (2-4?) for a postal vote. Currently, if you apply for a postal vote, you effectively have one for life.

@jcyclops every couple of years I when I have to register to vote I have to apply for a postal vote again.

I am aware that my council, like lots of others cross checks, the people in my household against the council tax register.

I didn't vote yesterday as I don't have any form of photographic ID. It's weird that I could have a postal vote and vote, but not if I turned up in person, yet it's much easier if you had an abusive member of the household to get everyone's postal ballots than it would be at the polling station.

Out of curiosity were you aware you could have applied to council for voter ID?

For the same reason we have police….

The person checking my name off checked my ID so different set up to yours. You could have ‘said you were anyone’ but you’d have to know the name and address of someone else in your area in order to do this.

I don’t agree with ID to vote though, felt like I was going through passport control yesterday.

@SorePaw

The list would appear to be on an ipad now so only the woman looking you up could see it. She didn't seem to be that comfortable using it either. Ds1 did say that when he went they took ages to find him on the system.

It's funny how people go on about "every other country has PR", "every other country doesn't have a monarchy" etc etc, and yet pretty much every other country requires voter ID, including one of the four parts of the UK, but it is "evil" for us now to require it.

We have police to tackle the crimes that we know are happening. If we were not aware of any crimes happening we would start to make police cuts, obviously.