Elections watchdog to conduct analysis of implementation of voter ID

The Electoral Commission has revealed it will conduct a “full report” on the May 2023 local elections, which will analyse the impact of the voter ID requirement.

The Commission noted that some people were “regrettably unable to vote” in the elections which took place yesterday (4 May) as a result of the new measure.

It said it will “carry out research with the public to collect data about the experience of voters, and collect data from the local councils who had elections in their area”, as part of an initial analysis.

In December 2022, Parliament passed the Government's plans to introduce voter ID for the May 2023 elections, following the passing of the Elections Act 2022 in April 2022, which gave the Government powers to implement the rules.

The Commission revealed it will publish a full report in September, which is set to feature additional data, including “the reasons people were turned away, as well as turnout, postal voting and rejected ballots”.

It will also provide analysis on other aspects of the elections, including accessibility support that was provided for voters in polling stations.

The Electoral Commission stated that it is “essential” to understand the extent of the impact of voter ID, and the reasons behind it, “before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections”.

At the close of polls on Thursday 4 May, an Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “These were the first set of polls to take place since the voter ID requirement came into force. Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run. Across the country, votes were cast throughout the day and in line with the law. This is in large part thanks to the dedication of electoral administrators, who have worked hard to prepare for today and for the implementation of this new measure.

“Confidence in the overall picture, however, should not overlook other impacts which can only be revealed through detailed data collection and analysis over the coming weeks. We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

“We are collecting data from polling stations about the numbers turned away and returning, and carrying out national public opinion research to collect data about voters’ experiences. Given the fundamental role played by electoral administrators, it will also be vital that we hear from them about their experiences of the day, as well as other participants in the elections, including candidates.”

Last month, Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee wrote to the Chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger, to raise concerns about the accuracy of data due to be collected on voter turnout at the local elections on 4 May 2023.

The letter, sent on 26 April, called for the Electoral Commission to confirm they will be “collecting data on the number of individuals turned away outside of the polling station by meeter-greeters (in addition to voters turned away at the desk)”.

The Electoral Commission said it had responded to the letter as follows: “Staff acting as greeters may be used in some polling stations to welcome voters, remind them about the need to show photographic ID, and help speed up the voting process. Under the law, polling station staff need to collect data on the people that cannot be issued with a ballot paper because they were unable to provide an accepted form of ID.

This includes data on people who are turned away and later return to the polling station with accepted ID. This information can only be recorded at the ballot issuing desk, and not gathered by a greeter at the entrance. The presence of a greeter at a polling station is likely to affect the data recorded at the desk. For this reason, local authorities will need to separate out data for polling stations with and without greeters when submitting data after the polls.

“We will be reporting on data from polling stations on the proportion of people turned away from polling places or refused a ballot paper, and those who returned and were able to vote. As the above explains, this won’t reflect information collected by greeters.”

Lottie Winson