>The Elections Bill would give Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay new powers over the Electoral Commission. Crucially, it would allow him to influence the commission’s strategy and policy, as well as providing guidance on specific cases.
>
>[Writing for openDemocracy earlier this year](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/boris-johnson-accused-of-appalling-attack-on-election-watchdog/), former electoral commissioner David Howarth criticised the “appalling” plans, which he said pose “serious threats to the fairness of all future elections in Britain”. Howarth said the Elections Bill had been “calculated to facilitate the entrenchment in power of the current ruling party”.
–
>The report also rebuked the government over planned changes to the way elections are held for mayors and police and crime commissioners.
>
>The bill seeks to impose the ‘First Past the Post’ voting system on these elections, in place of the current ‘supplementary voting system’, which allows voters to choose their first and second choices.
>
>It would bring the elections in line with UK general elections – but the system is seen as controversial by many, as the ‘First Past The Post’ system has previously allowed British politicians to be elected with as little as 25% of the vote.
Remember, the Tories are meant to be the ones protecting your personal freedoms lol.
I’m fine with voter ID if it is free or cheap and easily accessible.
For example, the Netherlands has mandatory ID (not just for voting) but municipalities have schemes which make it free for people on low income and their families.
Thing is though, the vast majority of the tory voters are the mail and sun readers who have their opinions given to them because they are to stupid to think for themselves, they aren’t going to be able to figure out how to get a voter id!
Thats the point. Anyone who thinks this is a good idea or that its done with good intentions is either a fool or complicit and want an authoritarian 1 party state in the UK.
Either way, they are against our democracy.
The tory party are already trying to remove access to photo ID for some in society, do not give them the tools to remove voting rights by proxy.
Covid passes could prevent people from taking part in Society, the very same people who can’t get a free ID card under the new Polices likely can’t be arsed to even book a Covid Jab, and then attend to get both their Jab and Covid Pass.
​
​
Hell, two birds one stand, demand a Covid pass to even enter a building to vote, suddenly those that demand such thing will likely kick up a fuss.
Isn’t that the idea keep those who won’t vote for them from voting to stay in power
That’s one way to stop recreational drug users from voting.
It is completely unnecessary and I don’t support it. If there’s a problem with voting in this country, it’s postal votes in multi-voter households where the man of the house fills in everyone’s vote and the rest of them don’t get to vote freely, not this.
But that said, no-one is stopped from voting by an ID requirement, as long as there is a freely available ID for anyone who doesn’t have one of the default options. That’s the case in NI and would almost certainly be the case in GB too.
I don’t get the point of voter ID. It’s a solution looking for a problem.
Is it trying to prevent in-person voter fraud? There were 6 cases of ballot fraud in the 2019 elections. In 2004 in NI, just after they introduced voter ID, they saw turnout drop by 2.3%. So if anything, voter ID makes elections less representative of the public’s will.
Ah yes the charade if democracy comes masquerading as an honest news outlet once again
First it will be Covid-19 Passports which you will need for going to the Pub, Clubs, Football, Cinema, Theatre, Stand Up, Music, Restaurants etc etc..
After a year or so your Covid-19 Passport with transition into a ID Card, after another year it will be made compulsory and very few will protest because you will be so used to using it you won’t care.
Once it’s compulsory the Government will be able to to remove choice after choice from you.
Want a Job, You need to Produce your ID, You want to Rent / Buy a House, produce your ID, want finance, Produce your ID, Going to the Football, Produce your ID, Going to the Museum, produce your ID..
The phase “Your papers please” will be common..
The worse thing, Labour are fully behind this.
Lets make a deal. We’ll have Voter ID but MPs have to publicly announce and wear a badge for every business they have a relationship with. Any gift, any meetings, any financial interest even if it is just a close relative or friend or neighbour.
The irony is, you need ID to become a member of the Labour Party
Isn’t stopping a million people voting kind of the point? So long as it’s the right people being stopped. You know the ones I’m talking about. Wink wink….. /s obviously
I welcome this move, it will align us more closely with whats already done on the continent.
Voter ID that will help Tories at elections, great idea!
Vaccine passports that will help people survive covid, terrible breach of freedoms.
Make your fucking mind up Tories. Pick a fucking lane.
17 comments
>[Local Government Chronicle: Evidence ‘not good enough’ for mandatory voter ID, committee finds](https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/evidence-not-good-enough-for-mandatory-voter-id-committee-finds-13-12-2021/)
–
eta:
>A scathing report by the committee noted that election turnout in Northern Ireland dropped by 2.3% “as a direct consequence” of the introduction of voter ID in 2003.
>
>([openDemocracy: Elections Bill attacked by cross-party MPs](https://beta.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/mps-urge-boris-johnson-to-halt-plans-for-compulsory-voter-id/))
–
>The Elections Bill would give Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay new powers over the Electoral Commission. Crucially, it would allow him to influence the commission’s strategy and policy, as well as providing guidance on specific cases.
>
>[Writing for openDemocracy earlier this year](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/boris-johnson-accused-of-appalling-attack-on-election-watchdog/), former electoral commissioner David Howarth criticised the “appalling” plans, which he said pose “serious threats to the fairness of all future elections in Britain”. Howarth said the Elections Bill had been “calculated to facilitate the entrenchment in power of the current ruling party”.
–
>The report also rebuked the government over planned changes to the way elections are held for mayors and police and crime commissioners.
>
>The bill seeks to impose the ‘First Past the Post’ voting system on these elections, in place of the current ‘supplementary voting system’, which allows voters to choose their first and second choices.
>
>It would bring the elections in line with UK general elections – but the system is seen as controversial by many, as the ‘First Past The Post’ system has previously allowed British politicians to be elected with as little as 25% of the vote.
Remember, the Tories are meant to be the ones protecting your personal freedoms lol.
I’m fine with voter ID if it is free or cheap and easily accessible.
For example, the Netherlands has mandatory ID (not just for voting) but municipalities have schemes which make it free for people on low income and their families.
Thing is though, the vast majority of the tory voters are the mail and sun readers who have their opinions given to them because they are to stupid to think for themselves, they aren’t going to be able to figure out how to get a voter id!
Thats the point. Anyone who thinks this is a good idea or that its done with good intentions is either a fool or complicit and want an authoritarian 1 party state in the UK.
Either way, they are against our democracy.
The tory party are already trying to remove access to photo ID for some in society, do not give them the tools to remove voting rights by proxy.
Covid passes could prevent people from taking part in Society, the very same people who can’t get a free ID card under the new Polices likely can’t be arsed to even book a Covid Jab, and then attend to get both their Jab and Covid Pass.
​
​
Hell, two birds one stand, demand a Covid pass to even enter a building to vote, suddenly those that demand such thing will likely kick up a fuss.
Isn’t that the idea keep those who won’t vote for them from voting to stay in power
That’s one way to stop recreational drug users from voting.
It is completely unnecessary and I don’t support it. If there’s a problem with voting in this country, it’s postal votes in multi-voter households where the man of the house fills in everyone’s vote and the rest of them don’t get to vote freely, not this.
But that said, no-one is stopped from voting by an ID requirement, as long as there is a freely available ID for anyone who doesn’t have one of the default options. That’s the case in NI and would almost certainly be the case in GB too.
I don’t get the point of voter ID. It’s a solution looking for a problem.
Is it trying to prevent in-person voter fraud? There were 6 cases of ballot fraud in the 2019 elections. In 2004 in NI, just after they introduced voter ID, they saw turnout drop by 2.3%. So if anything, voter ID makes elections less representative of the public’s will.
Ah yes the charade if democracy comes masquerading as an honest news outlet once again
First it will be Covid-19 Passports which you will need for going to the Pub, Clubs, Football, Cinema, Theatre, Stand Up, Music, Restaurants etc etc..
After a year or so your Covid-19 Passport with transition into a ID Card, after another year it will be made compulsory and very few will protest because you will be so used to using it you won’t care.
Once it’s compulsory the Government will be able to to remove choice after choice from you.
Want a Job, You need to Produce your ID, You want to Rent / Buy a House, produce your ID, want finance, Produce your ID, Going to the Football, Produce your ID, Going to the Museum, produce your ID..
The phase “Your papers please” will be common..
The worse thing, Labour are fully behind this.
Lets make a deal. We’ll have Voter ID but MPs have to publicly announce and wear a badge for every business they have a relationship with. Any gift, any meetings, any financial interest even if it is just a close relative or friend or neighbour.
The irony is, you need ID to become a member of the Labour Party
Isn’t stopping a million people voting kind of the point? So long as it’s the right people being stopped. You know the ones I’m talking about. Wink wink….. /s obviously
I welcome this move, it will align us more closely with whats already done on the continent.
Voter ID that will help Tories at elections, great idea!
Vaccine passports that will help people survive covid, terrible breach of freedoms.
Make your fucking mind up Tories. Pick a fucking lane.