Voter Identification Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Cat Smith
Main Page: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)Department Debates - View all Cat Smith's debates with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
(1 year, 10 months ago)
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Lee Rowley
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There has been voter ID in Northern Ireland for 20 years, and it has run successfully. There is absolutely no reason why that will not be the case in the United Kingdom as a whole.
Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
I agree with the Minister that the integrity of our democracy is incredibly important, but I suggest that the best way to strengthen security at the ballot box is to increase turnout, which would reduce voter fraud.
Two million people do not hold valid ID, and will not hold it in May. I remind the Minister that access to photo ID is a luxury and, in a cost of living crisis, the reality is that many of our constituents cannot afford the luxury of paying £82 for a passport or around £40 for a driving licence. They are being priced out of the ballot box. I urge him to look again at the list. After the May elections, will he make a statement to the House outlining what actually happened and how many people were turned away?
Lee Rowley
One of our reasons for offering a free voter authority certificate, which 21,000 people have already taken up, is to address precisely that question.