London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Voter ID: Concerns scheme could hit people in Wales harder

Voter ID: Concerns scheme could hit people in Wales harder

Introducing voter ID cards for the next general election will unfairly target disadvantaged groups, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has said.

If the Elections Bill is passed by the UK parliament, it will be a legal requirement to produce photo identification at polling stations.

The UK government has said the reforms will "improve accessibility".

But ERS Cymru said the effects will not be evenly spread across society, and could disproportionately impact Wales.

"We know that people who are less likely to have ID might be unemployed, they might be living in council houses or under registered social landlords, they might be disabled people or older people," said ERS Cymru director Jess Blair.

"And it's that kind of inequality that really concerns us.

"There's a real risk that this legislation will have a disproportionate impact on people in Wales, particularly those that are unemployed, disabled, older, potentially live in housing associations or council houses."

The rules would only apply for Westminster elections


Government research suggests 4% of the UK's population - about 2.68 million people - do not have a recognisable form of photo ID.

Ms Blair believes this could equate to "tens of thousands" of people in Wales.

She wants the UK government to "pause and rethink" passing the law.

About 22 other Welsh organisations want ID card plans scrapped as well.

The Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel also raised concerns that it risks Wales' reputation as a nation of sanctuary, and could disadvantage Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

Youth worker Billy Mayoza said the communities he works with do not want to "feel like they're going into an interrogation just to vote".

Calls to have similar rules for Welsh Parliament elections were rejected


He questioned the UK government's "hostile" motives.

Ahmed Atiel, 18, said it felt like the "government doesn't trust its citizens".

Last week in the Senedd, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution Mick Antoniw MS ruled out Welsh Conservative attempts to introduce voter ID in Welsh elections.

But Tory constitution spokesman Darren Millar MS said bringing photo IDs are the norm in Europe.

"If you have to present some ID in order to pick a parcel up then surely you should have to turn up with some photo ID when you go to cast your ballot," he added.

'Improved accessibility'


The Elections Bill is currently moving through Parliament and if passed, will make it a legal requirement to produce photo identification to be able to vote at a polling station.

It would come into effect for UK parliament and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, but not Welsh government-controlled Senedd and local elections.

Identification that would be accepted includes railcards, bus passes, blue badge parking permits, driving licenses and passports.

The UK government said showing photo ID at a polling station will clamp down on voter fraud and restore confidence in voting.

In the last UK parliamentary election, there were 33 recorded cases of voter fraud at polling stations.

A spokesman for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "everyone who is entitled to vote will have the opportunity to do so. Our reforms will improve accessibility by making sure the needs of all voters are considered by election officials, especially voters with disabilities."

"Any eligible voter who does not already have one of the required forms of photographic identification can apply for a free local Voter Card from their council."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×