There has been an on-going row about the need for ID needed to vote.
Only around 4% of the estimated two million people who do not have valid ID have signed up for a government scheme to allow them to vote.
May’s local elections will be the first time all voters in England must show photo ID.
Slammed shut
As Alex Norries MP told the House of Commons: “Fewer than 90,000 of the up to 2m people without appropriate ID have applied for a voter authority certificates… so loads of people have had their vote taken off them… will people turned away outside a polling station count as someone who’s been denied a vote?”
Dr Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, said “the door has been slammed shut for many would-be voters who lack the required ID to cast a ballot in May’s elections”.
“Despite repeated warnings that these new rules could disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters, the government pushed ahead with this unnecessary policy,” she said.
Police issued just one caution for electoral fraud last year – triggering fresh criticism of the voter ID system which will be used at next month’s elections.
Tory Leaflet
Now a row how broke out as it appears a Tory campaign leaflet delivered in the Norwich area told people you DON’T need ID in order to vote.
This is exactly against the law they have just brought in!
The local Conservative Federation has apologised and said a “printing error” was to blame for the leaflet sent out to voters containing false advice – but said the template came from CCHQ.
Simon Jones, chairman of the Norwich Conservative Federation, said the leaflet had been “centrally produced and printed” from the Tory party’s headquarters.
“Unfortunately, their content contained information which was out of date and did not reflect recent changes to voter ID,” said the local chairman.
Mr Jones said: “We delivered a small number of these before realising their mistake but suspended delivery as soon as the issue was identified.”
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