Will Boris Johnson’s voter ID plans really mean more votes for the Conservatives?
3 years, 7 months ago

Will Boris Johnson’s voter ID plans really mean more votes for the Conservatives?

The Independent  

If there is one measure in the Queen’s Speech that appears to be a more or less naked attempt at suppression of the Labour vote, it is the proposal for compulsory voter ID at polling stations. The Electoral Commission noted with some satisfaction in a 2014 review that there is “no evidence to suggest that there have been widespread, systematic attempts to undermine or interfere with recent elections through electoral fraud”. It would appear to be a quite blatant attempt effectively to disenfranchise the poor and ethnic minorities who might otherwise tend to vote Labour, and thus deliver an undeserved marginal electoral advantage to Conservatives. After all, the poor with “chaotic” lives are less likely to hold photo ID or know where it is, just as, in the old days, they were less likely to own a car and turn out to vote on wet and windy evenings. Of course you might argue that nowadays the “working class” and even the poor are more likely to vote Conservative, and that old assumptions about the vote need to be updated.

History of this topic

Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting photo ID
8 months ago
Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting photo ID
8 months ago
Voter ID data needed to reveal impact on election turnout, senior MP says
1 year, 6 months ago
Drakeford accuses UK Government of having ‘voter suppression agenda’
1 year, 8 months ago
Photo ID becomes compulsory for all voters in England’s local elections
1 year, 8 months ago
Number of voters turned away under government’s new ID laws will not be fully counted
1 year, 8 months ago
Fears voter ID laws before Parliament will disenfranchise most vulnerable
3 years, 2 months ago
Boris Johnson grabs back power to call snap general election by scrapping fixed five-year terms
3 years, 7 months ago
Bame groups accuse government of ‘importing of US-style voter suppression’ to Britain with voter ID plans
4 years, 6 months ago
‘Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut’: Voter ID critics question whether plans for nationwide rollout will cause more harm than good
4 years, 10 months ago
Voter ID: Boris Johnson to make photo ID mandatory at polling stations, Queen's Speech reveals
5 years ago

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