Voter ID is wholly unnecessary and a blatant effort by Conservatives to drive down turnouts. It’s a direct lift from the strategy of the US Republican Party and should be first on the list for repeal when Labour inevitably win the next election anyway.
That said: this concern about young people isn’t actually true in Scotland anymore. People under 22 get a bus pass now too and that bus pass is on this list.
Surprise, surprise, the people that are governing predominantly for those aged 60+ continue to do so.
So let’s sum up again shall we?
This government:
– Removed the independence of the Electoral Commission
– Made protest a criminal offense if it ’causes a nuisance’
– Launched a training program for the army in breaking strikes and protests
– Is bringing in voter ID
Pretty obvious what’s happening here folks. It’s called fascism. Say goodbye to your democracy.
Voter ID is common across Europe and has been required in Northern Ireland for 20 years.
Accepting 60+ Oyster cards but not 18+ is nothing more than blatant voter suppression. There’s 0 reason for accepting one and not the other.
Fuck these Tory cunts
Is there any reason except voter suppression to accept various old people’s rail cards but not eg the 16-25 rail card?
What the actual fuck is the difference between an 18+ oyster card and a 60+ oyster card other than you being older? Do they have to go through extra checks?
The party that panders to old rich racists takes another step to make sure they are the people choosing the next government. Wonderful
The Tories are becoming more like the radical GOP in the US every day. Now they’re getting into voter suppression.
So, they accept OAP bus passes, but not student bus passes?
TBF, most people have at least a provisional driver’s license, but “most” isn’t good enough for voting, it has to be *everyone* (of age who lives in the UK, ofc).
Interesting to see how the Voter Authority Certificate will be handled – if it’s distributed automatically with registering to vote, then it doesn’t really matter. I doubt it, they’ll want to make it as hard as possible.
Might start a petition to get student bus passes accepted, not that petitions are effective
Funny, that.
Almost like those in charge wanted to disenfranchise younger voters at the expense of older. Good thing we all get a day of paid leave to vote eh…oh yes that’s just the retired too.
You want voter ID?, give us an ID to use free of charge.
Using the DVLA as a proxy identity provider for the UK is mad. I know several people with provisional driving licenses that have no intention of ever driving anything!
This is literal rigging by the Tories. And yes, I know “councils will provide free ID”. Except they wont, will they? The IDs will get lost in the post, turn up on the Friday after the election or the system will crash due to demand.
Free voter cards
Free voter cards, to be called a Voter Authority Certificate, will be made available for those without any other form of photographic ID. People are likely to be able to apply for these from January 2023. The detailed draft secondary legislation required for the applications process was laid in Parliament on 3 November 2022, and must be approved by both Houses of Parliament. It is expected voters can apply for a card in early 2023.
That’s the idea, Tories want to stop certain people voting, especially if they’re unlikely to vote for them.
I’m 18 and it’s hard for me to imagine people don’t have at least one of these. In fairness I’m in Scotland so everyone my age can get a young scot card for free and most people do or have smth else. Even those without one have some other ID tho for the sake of being able to buy drink/cigarettes etc
Electoral Administration teams don’t even have the guidance on how to implement this yet. My team have no idea how the legislation should work in practice. We’ve not even had access to the portal where ID applications come through.
Right wingers fucking love democracy.
But only if the correct people vote.
Nothing contradictory here, move along please.
Why do the Tory party hate British people so much that they don’t want them to be able to vote?
It makes voting extremely difficult for the growing chunk of society with no fixed abode. We’re in the worst housing crisis since WW2 and it’s going to get worse. This is a very effective way to make those affected by it unable to vote to change it.
So they are just disenfranchising young people from voting then.
There is no voter fraud so claiming it addresses that is a red herring. The only thing this will do is stop young people voting, the ONLY thing it will do.
At first they came for the youth…
It is weird we’re so opposed to this, we’re really behind the developed World on this one
How is voting both super important, one of the most important things you can do that must be protected at all costs, but not important enough that we close a known vulnerability by ensuring people voting are who they say they are?
The main arguments I’ve heard against it are
1. “it’s a human right”
and so is marriage, you have to prove your identity for that, why should voting be any different? People don’t question having to prove your id to open a bank account either – why? Because it’s important someone doesn’t use your account pretending to be you, but voting? Meh
2) “it’s voter suppression”
It’s not, but I love this idea that out there is a specific group of voters large enough to sway an election who’ve never worked, never travelled abroad, don’t drive, don’t have any form of photo id at all, and are somehow politically motivated enough to register to vote and physically go to a polling booth, but the inconvenience of applying for free electoral id is enough to go ‘you know what I’m actually ok with the tories’, oh yeah and they all vote Labour, somehow
And lastly I see a lot of “if they gave out ID cards like in Europe…” you mean the cards that cost 28 euros and take 8-10 weeks to replace? You wouldn’t be shouting voter suppression if we had just those + passport like the rest of Europe instead of the free electoral ID you can on the day by literally turning up to a local authority?
Accepting the 60+ version of a card, but not the 18-25 version of the same card, seems like rather blatant voter suppression.
The Conservative Party has gone full on populist. They have complete disrespect for democracy now, and they just want to profit by any means.
I’m assuming yes but are Irish passports included?
“UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country”
25 comments
Voter ID is wholly unnecessary and a blatant effort by Conservatives to drive down turnouts. It’s a direct lift from the strategy of the US Republican Party and should be first on the list for repeal when Labour inevitably win the next election anyway.
That said: this concern about young people isn’t actually true in Scotland anymore. People under 22 get a bus pass now too and that bus pass is on this list.
Surprise, surprise, the people that are governing predominantly for those aged 60+ continue to do so.
So let’s sum up again shall we?
This government:
– Removed the independence of the Electoral Commission
– Made protest a criminal offense if it ’causes a nuisance’
– Launched a training program for the army in breaking strikes and protests
– Is bringing in voter ID
Pretty obvious what’s happening here folks. It’s called fascism. Say goodbye to your democracy.
Voter ID is common across Europe and has been required in Northern Ireland for 20 years.
Accepting 60+ Oyster cards but not 18+ is nothing more than blatant voter suppression. There’s 0 reason for accepting one and not the other.
Fuck these Tory cunts
Is there any reason except voter suppression to accept various old people’s rail cards but not eg the 16-25 rail card?
What the actual fuck is the difference between an 18+ oyster card and a 60+ oyster card other than you being older? Do they have to go through extra checks?
The party that panders to old rich racists takes another step to make sure they are the people choosing the next government. Wonderful
The Tories are becoming more like the radical GOP in the US every day. Now they’re getting into voter suppression.
So, they accept OAP bus passes, but not student bus passes?
TBF, most people have at least a provisional driver’s license, but “most” isn’t good enough for voting, it has to be *everyone* (of age who lives in the UK, ofc).
Interesting to see how the Voter Authority Certificate will be handled – if it’s distributed automatically with registering to vote, then it doesn’t really matter. I doubt it, they’ll want to make it as hard as possible.
Might start a petition to get student bus passes accepted, not that petitions are effective
Funny, that.
Almost like those in charge wanted to disenfranchise younger voters at the expense of older. Good thing we all get a day of paid leave to vote eh…oh yes that’s just the retired too.
You want voter ID?, give us an ID to use free of charge.
Using the DVLA as a proxy identity provider for the UK is mad. I know several people with provisional driving licenses that have no intention of ever driving anything!
This is literal rigging by the Tories. And yes, I know “councils will provide free ID”. Except they wont, will they? The IDs will get lost in the post, turn up on the Friday after the election or the system will crash due to demand.
CitizenCard are offering all Uk adults 18-64 a free card with code FREEVOTERID https://twitter.com/citizencard/status/1590035702200565760?s=12
Free voter cards
Free voter cards, to be called a Voter Authority Certificate, will be made available for those without any other form of photographic ID. People are likely to be able to apply for these from January 2023. The detailed draft secondary legislation required for the applications process was laid in Parliament on 3 November 2022, and must be approved by both Houses of Parliament. It is expected voters can apply for a card in early 2023.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/
That’s the idea, Tories want to stop certain people voting, especially if they’re unlikely to vote for them.
I’m 18 and it’s hard for me to imagine people don’t have at least one of these. In fairness I’m in Scotland so everyone my age can get a young scot card for free and most people do or have smth else. Even those without one have some other ID tho for the sake of being able to buy drink/cigarettes etc
Electoral Administration teams don’t even have the guidance on how to implement this yet. My team have no idea how the legislation should work in practice. We’ve not even had access to the portal where ID applications come through.
Right wingers fucking love democracy.
But only if the correct people vote.
Nothing contradictory here, move along please.
Why do the Tory party hate British people so much that they don’t want them to be able to vote?
It makes voting extremely difficult for the growing chunk of society with no fixed abode. We’re in the worst housing crisis since WW2 and it’s going to get worse. This is a very effective way to make those affected by it unable to vote to change it.
So they are just disenfranchising young people from voting then.
There is no voter fraud so claiming it addresses that is a red herring. The only thing this will do is stop young people voting, the ONLY thing it will do.
At first they came for the youth…
It is weird we’re so opposed to this, we’re really behind the developed World on this one
How is voting both super important, one of the most important things you can do that must be protected at all costs, but not important enough that we close a known vulnerability by ensuring people voting are who they say they are?
The main arguments I’ve heard against it are
1. “it’s a human right”
and so is marriage, you have to prove your identity for that, why should voting be any different? People don’t question having to prove your id to open a bank account either – why? Because it’s important someone doesn’t use your account pretending to be you, but voting? Meh
2) “it’s voter suppression”
It’s not, but I love this idea that out there is a specific group of voters large enough to sway an election who’ve never worked, never travelled abroad, don’t drive, don’t have any form of photo id at all, and are somehow politically motivated enough to register to vote and physically go to a polling booth, but the inconvenience of applying for free electoral id is enough to go ‘you know what I’m actually ok with the tories’, oh yeah and they all vote Labour, somehow
And lastly I see a lot of “if they gave out ID cards like in Europe…” you mean the cards that cost 28 euros and take 8-10 weeks to replace? You wouldn’t be shouting voter suppression if we had just those + passport like the rest of Europe instead of the free electoral ID you can on the day by literally turning up to a local authority?
Accepting the 60+ version of a card, but not the 18-25 version of the same card, seems like rather blatant voter suppression.
The Conservative Party has gone full on populist. They have complete disrespect for democracy now, and they just want to profit by any means.
I’m assuming yes but are Irish passports included?
“UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country”
No indication of the Republic of Ireland there.