Are You Ready For The Photo Ids?.

[William51]

From this year we now need a photo identification to vote in local and national elections. A driving licence or passport picture will be okay, and other things like older persons bus pass or a blue badge too.

[douglas9401]

Aye.

[Redhelen72]

We have always needed that over here - do you have a lot of voter fraud in England?

[bhg481]

Postal vote for me, so no problem. In any case I have no objections and would happily take some ID to a polling station.

[10ClarionSt]

It's meant to try and stop fraud isn't it? Plenty of taxi drivers and others use just one licence and pass it around so I expect they'll try and do it with this, if they want to vote.

[rowanwitch]

Or just switch to postal voting which I had to do. For the anti postal vote folks. I can't guarantee I will be well enough to get to the polling station as some days I wake up barely able to get out of bed.

[William51]

Redhelen, no ,there is not much election fraud in England, there was eleven convictions in the recent past.

[New Judge]

//Redhelen, no ,there is not much election fraud in England, there was eleven convictions in the recent past.//

And many of those convictions centred around postal voting, which of course this change will not address.

[douglas9401]

There may also be a lack of political will to investigate and pursue the issue, given what may be found that doesn't fit the narrative.

Photo ID is an easy 'out', seen to be doing something.

[Bazile]

How do you stop postal voter fraud ?

[davebro]

I know it's a hard fought privilege and all that but I can see no point in voting when I know who will be elected (here) & I don't support them (or any of the other mainstream candidates). Unless & until it's made compulsory I will abstain.

[sandyRoe]

Is it fair to exclude potential voters who don't have photo ID when only 11 cases of personation have been uncovered in recent times?
A sledgehammer to crack a nut.

[bhg481]

We have a postal vote. Each time we vote we have to sign the form which accompanies the voting paper and I assume the signature is checked against the original application, at least on a random basis. The only problem is that I don't remember my ID being checked at the time I first applied for a postal vote. In other words it would have been possible for me to sign my form with my signature and her form with my version of her signature when we first applied; I could then vote in her name for ever more.

[barry1010]

I think it's a good thing and it costs nothing to get ID if you don't have it already.

[davebro]

There should have been compulsory ID cards in the UK for decades. It's silly not to have them.

[youngmafbog]

I have always had a postal vote as I cannot guarantee where in the country I will be (work), but I would have no problem with a photo ID.

I agree it is not really the area the UK has a problem with but its an easy start and sends the message things are getting tighter. The way to go has to be on-line voting but probably a bit of that just now, although it wouldnt hurt to start an run alongside other methods until the population gets older and everyone is happy online.

[youngmafbog]

That is one of the problems NHG. I do think postal voting should be reapplied for regularly as well.

Davebro, it is important to exercise your right to vote. If you really dont like any of the candidates go down and destroy you ballot paper with "NONE OF THE ABOVE" or similar to register your dissatisfaction. or you could vote for a no hoper like the Raving Loony Party.
I know what you mean though, I am a man without a Party at the moment.

[barry1010]

Nobody is excluded from voting, we have had plenty of notice about the requirement for photo id and it costs nothing.

[bhg481]

YMB - I agree with you absolutely; I have been known to vote for "The Very Silly Party", or similar, when none of the main candidates fit the bill for me. I do think, though, that internet voting would be even more difficult to police than postal voting.

[Llanfair]

Barry1010, from where do we get these photo-ids that cost nothing?

[gulliver1]

There must be a lot of election fraud big time, in the UK, Judging by who was elected to the position of PM at the last General Election