Elections: Proof of Identity

(asked on 6th January 2022) - View Source

Question

To ask the hon. Member for City of Chester, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the impact of introducing voter ID on turnout among Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities in (a) Newport West, (b) Wales and (c) the UK.


Answered by
Christian Matheson Portrait
Christian Matheson
This question was answered on 10th January 2022

The Electoral Commission’s independent evaluation of the Government’s pilots, held in 2018 and 2019, found no evidence that turnout was significantly affected by the trialled introduction of an ID requirement at polling stations.

However, the evaluations noted that the pilots were not representative of the UK population and it was therefore not possible to draw definitive conclusions, particularly about the likely impact at a national poll with higher levels of turnout.

The Commission will have significant responsibilities to raise public awareness about the new ID requirement. This will have a predominant focus on those demographics known to be less likely to have the necessary identification, including those from lower socio-economic groups, those with disabilities and the unemployed.

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