Voter photo ID

A spin off from the Brexit thread - in the Queens speech there was mentioned photo ID being required for voting in future, how do you feel about that?

Woking have been trialling this for several years and it's worked well as far as anyone can tell although I have no idea on postal votes... presumably something to do with having a registered postal address to get round the photo ID??

 

I do wish Jez would button it, this is utter nonsense

Corbyn: Voter ID plans 'clearly discriminatory'

 

Because a minority of people have sounded off about civil liberties being infringed and something about Big Brother... no idea. I think they could be a great idea if tied to say usability as a credit card or driving license etc.

 

I don't mind the idea of I.D. cards but am concerned that they may become compulsory to carry them. To have an I.D. card just for voting seems OK (as long as they can overcome the postal question) as I know a lot of people that don't have driving licences, passports or credit card. I look after a number of disabled people that have none of these and they always make a postal vote.

I also know a lot of people that just make a postal vote. This can be because of various reasons. Mainly they are older people (couldn't possibly be referring to myself! ) who don't wish to go, or have difficulty getting to, a polling station. Some others of them are lucky enough to be able to be away on holiday on polling day.

I'm sure the postal vote part can be overcome easily enough but I'm also sure that it would be open to abuse - as it is at the moment.

 

Is peoples aversion to photo ID required for voting actually just an aversion to an ID card? We're talking a small percentage of people that don't have either drivers license or passport surely?

 

Because it can lead down dangerous roads of bureaucracy where if you don't have a ID nothing in Society will function for you. We have lots of none restrictive means of ID such a Car Licences, Cards that we use daily for purchasing, etc. We are photographed every day by Security cameras in the Street, some using facial recognition, vast amounts of your personal data being sifted and sold by commercial organisations every day. If Politicians and Civil Servants have proved that they are only Human and subject to mistakes and bad decisions as they have today why would you trust them to invent a civilisation where only an ID Card will allow you to live your Life normally from day to day. A ID card in America is basically worthless as such cards are routinely forged from State to State and even most Countries where ID cards are used, forgeries can, and are, be bought and sold , for criminal misuse.

 

This answers my earlier question. It may also encourage people to vote by post instead of in person.

"Postal vote checks
You do not need photo ID to vote by post. However, we will be carrying out random checks to ensure that postal voters applied and voted themselves and there was no fraud or undue pressure put on them."

I'd be interested to see how they do that! Have they ever done it except when someone has been reported to them?

I don't think that will alter the percentages a great deal.

 

From what I understand, in some areas there were quite a few people who voted using someone else's polling card. I heard that they got hold of them through intimidation.

I may have a postal vote in future. I've got fed up opening up our village polling station (I'm in charge of the building) but having to vote in the next village (stupid boundary situation). I only have to open up, about 6 a.m., and show them where everything is but can't even go to my polling station as it doesn't open until later. The village that I have to vote in is one that I never go to.

You don't have to pay for it, except indirectly through your council tax. You should be eligible for a free bus around now. That would also be sufficient for I.D.