Data released by the Electoral Commission this week shows that 62 people in Penrith and Solway constituency were turned away from polling stations on July 4th when attempting to vote in the General Election without the required voter id.
24 people opted not to return to vote after being turned away from the polling station for not having the required identification with 38 returning to vote with the correct ID.
The Electoral Commission has said its figures recorded by polling station staff recorded only those turned away after asking for a ballot paper and that the true number may be higher than this, as some voters may have been told about the ID requirement by staff before they asked for a ballot, and not recorded as being turned away.
The July General Election was the first UK General Election that required mandatory voter ID to be shown in order to cast a vote in a parliamentary election.
In total, 35,842 people voted at one of the 118 polling stations in Penrith and Solway with just 5,711 people voting on the day in Penrith at a polling station and a total of 13,587 postal votes were also cast across the Penrith and Solway constituency.
Across the UK around 16,000 people were unable to vote in person at the general election due to the requirement to show ID at a polling station.
The Electoral Commission said they “found that 4% of people who said they did not vote at the general election gave an unprompted reason related to the ID rules. When people who didn’t vote were asked to choose from a list of reasons, the proportion of people giving an ID-related reason rose to 10%.”
Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said:
“This was the first time all voters across the UK were required to show photographic ID at a general election, and the data shows almost everyone was able to do so successfully. However, our research shows that the need for ID discouraged some people from voting – and we don’t want to see any voters lose their say.
“Public awareness of the need for voter ID is high across the UK, but there are still groups of voters that are less likely to be aware of the need to show ID or that do not have an accepted form. Everyone eligible should have the opportunity to vote, which is why we are recommending changes that will support those who do not currently have ID and improve the accessibility of elections, while maintaining the security of the process.
“The Commission will review how our public campaigns and other work can continue to support the effective implementation of voter ID and minimise the barriers to voting.”
The Commission is calling for the UK Government to review the list of accepted ID to identify any additional documents that could be added, such as the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card and the 18+ Student Oyster photocard, in addition to the Veterans card and to undertake and publish a review of the Voter Authority Certificate and consider whether it could be issued digitally to encourage greater take up.
Overall turnout at the 2024 General election was 59.8%, down from 67.3% in the 2019 General Election.
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