Youngsters were barred from voting at the local elections despite having the correct ID, researchers reveal today.
Some would-be electors holding Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) cards were denied the right to cast a ballot last Thursday - even though the photo identification is an acceptable form of ID, according to Unlock Democracy.
The campaign group said new voter ID rules had led to a “total disenfranchisement of the youth”.
One would-be voter posted on Twitter: “Despite having a Citizen card photo ID with the PASS hologram I've been denied my vote.”
Paul Monk, who is a vicar in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, said: “My daughter was turned away from the voting booth.
“She felt absolutely humiliated.
“This same ID is accepted everywhere and was advertised as voting compliant.”
Others told how polling station officials were “confused” by the ID, which was among several forms of identification voters could use.
Another said: “When I presented it to them they told me it wasn’t a valid form of ID and I therefore couldn’t use it.”
Unlock Democracy warned there had been “many incidents in which the polling staff were unaware that this form of ID, which tends to be used more by young people, should be accepted”.
The group said there had been “many examples of voters having to prove the eligibility of the PASS cards themselves and waiting until the polling staff confirmed the information, while there have been reports of other voters being turned away and unable to cast their vote, as the polling staff did not confirm the rules”.
Director Tom Brake said it was “devastating that so many young people – many of whom, may have been voting for the first time – have had this right ripped away from them because of an inane and self-defeating policy”.
He called on ministers to “immediately scrap this dangerous policy and ensure that democracy and the freedom to vote is once again restored to the public”.
Mr Brake added: “These reports have confirmed what we have been warning about this whole time - that these new voter ID requirements are simply a form of voter suppression.
“The fact that so many young people have been denied their right to vote, despite carrying the correct form of ID, is nothing more than a total disenfranchisement of the youth.
“Too many people, both voters and polling staff, were left completely unaware of what type of photo ID they needed.
“But the responsibility lies solely on the Government for their rushed-through, ill-thought out and measly awareness campaign for this policy.”
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Full responsibility lies with this Tory Government for putting up unnecessary and expensive barriers to voting last Thursday that were a recipe for chaos and confusion.
“The Government added insult to injury by ignoring the warning and failing to communicate these changes and shockingly left young people quite wrongly being turned away and denied their say.
“Ministers must hold an urgent inquest into their shabby voter ID scheme to gain full transparency of the impact on voting.”
Lib Dem local government spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: “Put simply, there was not enough information or resource given to local authorities to ensure that everyone with the correct ID was able to vote.
“To have left polling staff and councils unable to prepare ahead of the local elections is completely unacceptable.
“The Government must urgently investigate the impact of their voter ID regulations before the next set of elections.”
The Electoral Commission plans to publish its initial analysis of how voter ID worked in the coming weeks, with a full report on the May 4 elections in September.
Speaking when polls closed last week, a spokeswoman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.
“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections.
“The Commission has already started this work.”
A Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “It’s vital we keep our democracy secure, prevent the potential for voter fraud and bring the rest of the UK in line with Northern Ireland which has had photo identification to vote in elections since 2003.
“This follows successful pilots in 2018 and 2019, including in Woking where over 99% of people were able to successfully cast their vote.
“Following local elections in May, it is essential that we understand how voter identification has operated in practice.
“Extensive analysis of the data collected from polls is now being undertaken by the Electoral Commission and the Government, with final reports set to be published later this year.”
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