Electoral integrity
“My Government will take steps to protect the integrity
of democracy and the electoral system in the
United Kingdom. ”
LEGISLATION
The purpose of the legislation is
to:
-
Tackle electoral fraud and protect our democracy, whether
people are casting their votes at the polling station or
elsewhere.
-
Make it easier for disabled voters to vote at polling
stations.
The main benefits of the legislation would
be:
-
Strengthening confidence in our democracy by addressing
the potential for electoral fraud in our current system, where
the only test in a polling station is for a voter to state
their name and address.
-
Providing greater security for those who vote remotely by
post or proxy and creating a deterrent for those who might seek
to interfere in the democratic process.
-
Removing potential barriers faced by disabled
voters.
The main elements of the legislation
are:
-
Requiring voters to show an approved form of photographic
ID in order to vote at a polling station in a UK parliamentary
election in Great Britain and local election in England. Any
voter who does not have an approved form of ID will be able to
apply, free of charge, for a local electoral identity
document.
-
Banning campaigners from handling postal votes,
introducing a power to limit the number of postal votes a
person may hand-in, and establishing a requirement on those
registered for a postal vote to re-apply every three years
(currently registration can last indefinitely).
-
Limiting the number of people a voter may act for as a
proxy to up to two electors, regardless of their
relationship.
-
Allowing a wider range of people (for example, carers who
would not be entitled to vote in the election) to be able to
assist disabled voters in a ‘companion’ role.
-
Requiring returning officers to provide equipment to
support voters with sight loss and other disabilities who find
it difficult to vote.
Territorial extent and application
-
The legislation’s provisions would extend and apply to
the whole of the UK for UK parliamentary elections, which is a
reserved matter, though the requirement to show ID to vote in
Northern Ireland has existed since 1985. Some provisions also
apply to certain other non-devolved elections in the UK,
including Assembly and local government elections in Northern
Ireland, and local elections in England.
OTHER MEASURES
-
The Government has committed to implementing an imprints
regime for digital election material. This will ensure greater
transparency and make it clearer to the electorate who has
produced and promoted online political materials. The
Government will bring forward proposals for the technical
implementation in the coming months.
-
The Government will launch a consultation to consider
measures to strengthen the provisions that protect our
democracy from foreign interference. This is part of our work
to continue to safeguard our democracy, strengthen our
resilience and ensure that the regulatory framework is as
watertight as possible. We will shortly be holding discussions
with interested groups as well as exploring the potential for
cross-party agreement.
Key facts
-
The election court judgement in the London Borough of
Tower Hamlets case (2015) illustrated that more needs to be
done to protect the integrity of our democracy.
-
In 2016 Sir (now Lord) published his review of
electoral fraud ‘Securing the
ballot’. The report included a number of
recommendations to address electoral fraud, including that the
Government should consider the options for electors to have to
produce personal identification before voting at polling
stations.
-
In its response to Lord Pickles’ review ‘A democracy that
works for everyone: a clear and secure democracy’ the
Government emphasised that electoral fraud is unacceptable on
any level. The Government committed then to:
o Prevent the intimidation
and undue influence of voters.
o End the dubious practice of
postal vote harvesting.
o Pilot the use of
identification in polling stations.
-
Voter ID was piloted at local elections in England in
2018 and 2019 and its impact was evaluated by the independent
Electoral Commission. Their evaluation of the 2019 pilots found
that public confidence in the electoral system was higher in
the voter ID pilot areas.
-
In the areas piloting voter ID, the Electoral Commission
found a notable increase in the number of people who regarded
electoral fraud not to be a problem (30 per cent to 39 per
cent). This change was not seen in areas not piloting voter
ID.
-
In Woking, which piloted photographic ID in both 2018 and
2019, 99.9% of people who attended a polling station in 2019
were able to show the right photographic ID and were issued
with a ballot paper.
-
Paper ID has been required to vote in Northern Ireland
since 1985 and photo ID since 2003. The pilots and experience
in Northern Ireland demonstrate that the requirement to show ID
does not negatively impact turnout or participation.
