This unaltered story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.org.
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MPs urge Boris Johnson to halt plans for compulsory voter ID
By: []
Date: 2021-12
The UK government has come under fire from MPs over plans to force voters to provide photo ID at polling stations.
Conservative MP William Wragg called for the Elections Bill to be paused, saying the case for mandating photo ID has “simply not been good enough”.
“When people can be blocked from voting because they have incorrect documentation, have misplaced it or they have none, we must make doubly sure that the costs of the measures are commensurate with the risk,” said Wragg, who chairs the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC).
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“Likewise, any government proposal which might directly or indirectly influence the independent regulator over its operations and decision-making will invite suspicion, especially when plans have been drawn up behind closed doors.”
The government argues that voter ID is necessary to prevent election fraud. But MPs say that cases of fraud are “very low” and the move is likely to reduce the turnout for future elections.
A scathing report by the committee noted that election turnout in Northern Ireland dropped by 2.3% “as a direct consequence” of the introduction of voter ID in 2003.
MPs said the government “should not proceed with this proposal” until more information had been published. The committee warned that the move will make it “more difficult to vote” and “remove an element of the trust inherent in the current system”.
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