Voter ID introduction debated by Newark and Sherwood District Council

Concerns have been raised over plans to require voters to present photo ID at polling stations from next year.

Labour members of Newark and Sherwood District Council questioned the timing and logistics of the proposals ­— which come just five months away from the next round of local government elections

The idea, which is already in use in other parts of Europe, is included in the government's Elections Act 2022.

At Thursday's full council meeting, Labour group leader Paul Peacock presented a motion asking that the council write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee requesting a delay and an inquiry into the implementation of voter ID.

He said: "I'll start by saying the government is not listening.

"They have failed to listen to the Association of Electoral Administrators, they have failed to listen to the Local Government Association, they have failed to listen to the Runnymead Trust, they have failed to listen to the Electoral Reform Society and they have failed to listen to the Electoral Commission.

"The motion presented represents a simple plea based upon the expectations of Electoral Administrators across the country. They say they cannot guarantee they will have the systems, staff and documentation in place for the elections in May next year.

"The motion is not being presented to make a political point but it must be said that during the whole of 2019, among the 58m people that cast a vote in various elections, there were only 33 allegations of impersonation at polling stations.

"The cost of implementing voter ID is a huge amount of money to throw at a problem that is minimal in it's impact. The suggestion is that it be £180m every ten years.

"There is uncertainty about extra resources on polling days and there will be an impact on already confused voters."

The motion was supported by Liberal Democrat, Peter Harris, who said: "Paul said that there were only 33 allegations of impersonation, but there was only one conviction.

"So all of this expenditure, all of this problem is about one person's conviction in 2019 for impersonation.

"Yet there are many many members of this district who will not be able to provide that personal identification, they won't be able to vote."

However, the Conservative deputy council leader, Keith Girling, said: "In our current electoral system there is an inexcusable potential for someone to cast another's vote at the polling station.

"All you need to do is say who you are and what your address is and then you can go and vote in that person's name.

"Showing identification to prove who we are is something that people of all walks of life already do every day.

"Having voter ID will also bring the rest of the UK in line with Northern Ireland where a form of voter identification has been in use since 1985 and requiring photo identification since 2003 with no adverse affects on voter participation.

"If the public are more confident in the democratic system they are more likely to participate in it.

"Everyone eligible to vote will continue to be able to do so.

"New research published by the government shows that 98% of electors already own a photographic document that is on the list of acceptable types of identification under this policy."

Donna Cumberlidge (Labour) said: "Everybody is entitled to that vote but they must also have the ability to make that vote. That is the concern, that we have less than five months to make a huge change.

"This is a big change. We have never used this way of voting before and it's how we get members of the public to be able to adapt to that change while ensuring that they still get their right to vote.

"Big change can take time and you have to make sure that it is absolutely done correctly and seemlessly."

The motion was rejected by a majority vote.