Why the government's plan to introduce voter ID during elections negatively impacts the south Asian community
On Monday Members of Parliament voted to approve requiring voters to bring in photo ID at when coming in to vote at poling stations during elections, in a bid to reduce voter fraud.
Although voter fraud has increased in recent years, The Electoral Commission deems it not a significant problem in the UK. According to their data, in the last general election in 2019, there were just 595 cases of election fraud and only four of these were convicted, of the total 58 million votes that were cast.
But for many, including the Labour party and some Welsh ministers, the move is not a welcome one. They fear it could lead to voter suppression. Groups that are particularly at risk of this include transgender individuals, for whom the image or gender on the ID may not align with how they now look and/or identify and migrants and ethnic minorities who are less likely to have valid forms of ID.
As proof of ID voters will be able to show a passport, a driver’s license or a photographic travel pass. The House of Commons library facts and figures show that 3.5 million people do not have access to photo ID in the UK and 11 million do not have a passport or a driving licence. In this ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected. 39% of people with Asian ethnicity hold neither a passport nor a driver’s license. Obtaining these is also an expensive endeavour which predominantly affects those from poorer backgrounds, which disproportionately includes those from ethnic minority and marginalised communities.
The government has announced that those without ID would be able to register for a free voter card. A parliamentary assessment has put the total cost of this at £120m over 10 years, including £15m to produce the free cards. Critics of the plan say that this is money that could be better spent on areas which genuinely need help like the NHS. A service, which again, marginalised groups and ethnic minorities have a harder time accessing.
Voter ID also raises the question of gatekeeping and it falling to local volunteers, as they typically man the poling booths around the country. This further increases pressure on them and also means that many legitimate voters could be turned away if their appearance changes significantly from when their photo is taken, potentially resulting in the long queues seen in the US. It also further enables racial and other forms of discrimination as polling booth administrators can turn voters away under the guise of unsatisfactory ID.
The plan is part of the government's Elections Bill which will now go to be voted on in the House of Lords.