Thousands of voters across Greater Manchester were turned away from polling stations because of the new ID requirements at the local elections earlier this month.
The new rule requiring that people voting at polling stations present an accepted form of photo identification - such as a driving licence or passport - came into force for the first time in all local elections across England on May 4. The government says the measure was put in place to prevent voter fraud.
However, critics warned that the move would stop some people voting. Among them was Manchester councillor Pat Karney who pulled a series of bizarre stunts to promote the new policy after describing it as a 'democratic disaster'.
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All of the seats in six Greater Manchester councils were up for grabs at the local elections this year, and some saw tight contests won by the narrowest of margins – including a tie in Tameside which was decided by drawing lots. Now, the number of voters who were turned away for this reason can be revealed.
A total of 3,881 people were turned away at polling stations across nine of the 10 Greater Manchester councils which have shared the verified data so far. Of these, voters 2,478 returned later with an accepted ID and were able to vote.
However, 1,403 people were not issued with a ballot paper by 10pm – either because they did not return or when they did, they did not have the right ID. Manchester saw the largest number of voters turned away in the city-region.
In total, 1,649 people were turned away at polling stations. And although 1,060 of them were able to vote when they returned with the right ID, 589 did not.
Manchester council leader Bev Craig said: "The government was warned that their cynical plans to introduce voter identification would mean that people would be denied their right to vote. Across the country and in Manchester we have seen people turned away from polling booths.
"In Manchester we worked hard to increase awareness and help people get the documents they needed, but we still saw thousands unable to vote. Voter fraud cases in this country is negligible, and this move cynically and disproportionately impacted already marginalised communities.
"The government urgently must put this right for future elections."
The all-out elections in Bolton saw several tight contests in a number of seats included two in which candidates were separated by just one vote. However, the council - which will now be run by Labour - has not yet provided the data on how many people were turned away from polling stations because of voter ID.
In Bury, 266 people were turned away of which 186 returned and voted, but 80 did not. In Oldham - where council leader Amanda Chadderton lost her seat by 21 votes - 198 people were turned away from polling stations, but 136 came back later with accepted ID, meaning that 62 people unable to vote in the end.
In Rochdale, 252 people were turned away at polling stations, but 156 returned with accepted ID and were able to vote, while 96 were not issues with a ballot paper by 10pm. Salford saw 262 people turned away from polling stations with 167 returning and 95 people - 0.38 pc of eligible voters - were unable to vote.
Salford council chief executive Tom Stannard, who was the returning officer at the local elections, said: “We did a lot of communications to support the national messages going out about voter ID. We will continue to remind people of the importance of voting and having the right ID in all future elections."
Stockport saw 459 people turned away at polling stations because they did not have the right form of ID. In total, 269 returned and voted, but 190 did not.
In Tameside, where a tie meant the returning officer had to draw a lot to decide who the third councillor in one ward would be - 215 people were turned away at polling stations. In the end, 162 returned and voted, but 53 did not.
Trafford saw 317 people turned away at polling stations, of which 187 returned with an accepted form of ID and voted – however, 130 did not vote as a result. Trafford council chief executive Sara Todd said: "It is disappointing to turn anyone away from voting but we had to comply with the new regulations.
"We carried out a lot of work to raise awareness of voter ID requirements. This included a letter to every household, advertisements in the local media, as well as campaigns on social media.
"We will continue to raise awareness throughout the year ahead of the next election. Voting is one of the most important things residents can do so we want to make sure that as many people as possible can vote."
In Wigan, 263 people were turned away at polling stations due to voter ID issues. By 10pm, 155 had returned with an accepted form of ID and voted, but 108 voters across the borough were not issued with a ballot paper at all.
When polls closed on May 4, the Electoral Commission said that the elections were 'well run', but confirmed that some people were unable to vote as a result of the new ID requirement. The independent body said a review is under way.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson 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 pc 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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