Photo ID to vote is a flagrant cladding attack

[Pireck]

You will need photo ID to vote in the general election this year. This won't be a problem for me personally as I have it, but many of the people where I grew up are too poor to drive or travel abroad. Many people in this country don't have valid photo ID, and they shouldn't have to to shell out a significant amount of money they likely don't have in order to cast their vote. An absolutely flagrant attack on the poor and otherwise deprived.

The title is supposed to read classist, not cladding.

Who the hell are you to label those working in care, in supermarkets and on the bins as feckless and lazy. Bloody cheek. I have family members working in those jobs and I can assure they are neither. They are providing a valuable service. You could not have been more offensive.😠

JRM admitted it was gerrymandering. He’s an actual Tory MP and said it on camera.

Lord Cruddas, a Tory peer said the same thing in different words.

You can dismiss it as a conspiracy theory, if you like, but when even the people who enacted it are calling a spade a spade, perhaps you might want to think again.

This

I'm disabled and poor and guess count as one of the "downtrodden". Housebound so postal votes are no good for me. I'm divorced and my adult DC live abroad. Friends slowly disappeared when I became disabled. Luckily one stayed in contact and has been there for me. She's going to be my proxy. There'll be other disabled people who have nobody to be their proxy.

The ID thing isn't an issue. Actually I'm glad it's happened because I can't afford to renew my passport and I can't drive so don't have a driving licence. I've been asked for ID for so many important things and it's been a massive pain without a passport or driving licence. Even though I wasn't sure if I'd be able to vote I got myself the free ID when it was first announced.

Also when I was a student I lived in an HMO. Post came to a communal entrance hall. I saw everyone's voting cards when there was a general election. It would've been really easy to take someone else's card. That was years ago but ever since then I wished we needed photo ID to vote.

There was and is no evidence of significant voter fraud in any election.

There was some fraud identified amongst postal voting.

The new ID requirements do not apply to postal votes.

If the government really wanted to stop voter fraud, why would they not change the postal vote process (where a small amount of fraud has been recognised) and instead, change the in-person rules (where no significant fraud has been identified)?

Yes, of course. All young people drink and go clubbing.

Oh wait, no they don’t.

Gen Z for zero tolerance

She didn’t call them feckless and lazy, a PP did. If you’re going to get outraged at least read the thread properly.

You completely misread the post you were replying to.

A purely ideological sledge hammer to crack a tiny nut.

The free voter ID doesn’t count as ID in any other circumstances.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate#:~:text=You%20can%20use%20it%20to,Authority%20Certificate%20in%20Northern%20Ireland.

Lol. Tories couldn’t even do people a solid in that way.

If they haven't, like my DD, then they can apply for a voter ID.

There are far more barriers to a YA getting a passport, driving licence or PASS card.

@Watchthewindow That's really disappointing! I didn't check properly when I applied but assumed it counted as official ID. That's really stupid then. Why won't they let it count for other things? Really annoying if I'll have to renew my passport because it's expensive.

I want photo ID for voting but it's ridiculous if the free ID isn't accepted as ID for other things too

I don't drive, or have a bus pass. I don't think I qualify for any kind of bus pass. I'm 20+ years off of qualifying for the elderly person one, which is the only one that can be used as ID.

Sometimes I think I'm on a different planet.

The point is, there shouldn’t be any barriers to someone casting their vote.

What is a formality for you might be onerous to someone else.

Anything that puts any barrier between a person and their democratic right is a problem - especially when it is costing a fortune to solve a problem that doesn’t actually exist.

You thinking it’s not much of a barrier is neither here nor there.

14,000 people were turned away for not having suitable ID in the last election. That figure only counts the people who got as far as the desk -those who came to the polling station and left before that, or didn’t try at all are not counted.

Over a 4 year period (2019-2023), there were 1462 cases of suspected voter fraud - so about 365 a year.

So the cost of stopping 365 fraudulent votes each year is that 14,000+ people were disenfranchised in a single election and £120m will be spent on voter id in the next decade.

Mjolnir to crack a nut.

It is one of the many ridiculous things about the voter ID system, yes.

Hope you are able to sort something out with your ID.

Isn't it a bit classist to assume people in lower paid jobs are incapable of applying for free ID?

No, it's reasonable to imagine they'll find it harder to do (mot everyone, just on average) because their lives involve more hardship and an extra task is less likely likely to be completed. As I have said throughout this entire thread, if you would take one moment to read at least one of my posts.

Increasing number of under 25s don't drink alcohol, but they still regularly need ID to buy paracetamol/non-alcoholic beer/teaspoons/get supermarket deliveries etc.

Yep. Think of the effort many working class people made to get the vote in the first place. I don't think we're asking too much.

If their desire to participate in democracy is as important to them as you seem to think it ought to be, they'll do one simple 10 minute task.

I don't think voting is a privilege and I don't think it should ever be described as a privilege. It is a right and should never be painted as anything other that a right. Also, I believe there is very little evidence of people 'gaming the system' and voting fraudulently.

YABU. All you need is a photo taken with your phone and to get your FREE ID from the local council. Easy.

They've been available for more than a year. You don't need to do it on your own. You can ask for help. Support is available. Call whichever party you want to vote for and they'll take the picture for you.

@Kendodd I suppose that I view voting as a privilege because it’s a privilege to be born into a democratic society. Millions of people aren’t and we’re so lucky to be in this position.

Many people won't, for various reasons. If you believe that they need to want to vote so much that they're happy to make the time and effort to do extra tasks (which many people won't have to, as they'll already have ID, and most of these people will be from more comfortable backgrounds) then you don't believe everyone who wants to should be able to vote. Adding a new requirement will automatically exclude some people, that is a fact. As a result of this policy, there will be fewer people who get to vote. Have a wee ponder about that for a moment.

The system is here, it is irrelevant as to whether I agree with it. However the whole "noone is capable of getting ID sorted" is getting a little tiresome.

But OP, if they are so unmotivated as to avoid 5 mins filling in the form, they certainly aren't going to walk up the road to the polling station. Supposing it rains? Or is windy? Or cold?

No matter what the barriers are, people have to WANT to vote. And if they want to, they'll get their ID.