Vocal Voices

It is being trialled in Bromley, Gosport, Swindon, Watford and Woking. Potential voters must have some proof of ID, be it a passport, driving licence, utility bill, bank statement or so on. Well obviously the usual suspects, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Electoral Reform Society, Age UK, Stonewall, Liberty, the Salvation Army and other charities, are up in arms: "It's a breach of Human Rights" and "Voter fraud is incredibly rare".

Hang on, having a vote is not a human right. A person can have their vote removed for any number of reasons and all perfectly legally. And although voter fraud is claimed to be "incredibly rare" (proof needed) when an election can be won by a single vote then everything possible should be done to try to eliminate voter fraud.

Voting should be done in person, with proof of ID, and at a specific location except in very exceptional circumstances.

Quite agree. I'm not at all sure that voting fraud is rare and it needs to be cracked down on.

Well unless you can validate the utility account numbers, bank account numbers or any other "bill", at the time of being presented, then it's simply a waste of time.

The best one is biometrics and that would be best done as retinal as retinal has the lowest resistance because it leaves no "footprint" and has no connotations of "control" like fingerprints.

If they want to do something like this, it would be best to add a unique digital reference to the voter registration and then require that the digital reference is brought with them. In that way the voter is bringing with them a piece of unique information given by the government for the express purpose of voting. Only to be used, of course, if the voter did not have photo id.

I agree with this. Something does need to be done.

It amazed me that Tom received voting cards for home and also for in his university city, and although illegal to vote in both places there was nothing that either polling station would've been able to do to stop him, because all you get is someone putting a line through his name on a list.

Suff wrote:Well unless you can validate the utility account numbers, bank account numbers or any other "bill", at the time of being presented, then it's simply a waste of time.

It is not remotely a waste of time. Voter fraud is out there and this is simply a start on the road to minimising it. Voters in boroughs mentioned have to take their polling card, which have a unique register number, plus some ID, even if it is "only" a bill. It at least puts fraudsters on notice.

The thing is that all forms of ID have problems and getting some 42 million of us all using the same system will be a bureaucratic nightmare, but we have to make a start. Universal ID cards anyone?

I just hope that we do not go down the Internet or Voting App routes. If you want to vote turn up and make your mark with a pencil x.

Bus pass is ok for ID

Ah, the return of that hoary old chestnut, the National ID Card .....

I've personally never been in favour of them - but I am beginning to wonder now if it wouldn't be for the best, especially after the illegal immigration / Windrush scandal.

Having to provide a utility bill or whatever at the voting table sounds a bit long-winded to me. I think it's more likely to simply put people off going to vote, to be honest, but we shall see.

I'd have no problem with ID cards, there have been times when one would have been very useful to me. Photo ID, and no need to provide marriage and divorce papers when applying for my passport, or when Mick wanted to change his bank acc to a joint one with me. The ID card would be with you from cradle to grave.

I do think that preventing voter fraud is very important, and don't see the problem with having to produce a bill! Now if it had to be photo ID, such as a passport, then that could be said to be disenfranchising poorer sections of sociwty, and that would open a huge can of worms!

I have still got my ID card which was issued during the war. Sometimes use the ID which consists of four letters and four numbers.
THis was in the days before photos were used as well as computers.

I have no photo ID, except my NHS smart card and we are not supposed to carry them around with us.

So I would like an ID card please