So a pensioner’s bus pass will be an acceptable form of voter ID come the local elections next May, but a student railcard will not. Likewise, an Oyster 60+ card will get the holder to the ballot box, but a student ID card is a no go – and no vote. Is that fair and reasonable? Not according to the many critics of the government’s decision to push ahead with the introduction of mandatory voter ID, following the passing of the Elections Act in April. Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle says that young people will be discriminated against, and it’s hard to argue when, aside from passports and driving licenses, most additional IDs that will be accepted when turning up to vote are those specifically for older people. Department of Transport figures show that the number of young people with driving licenses has fallen to record lows. Mr Russell-Moyle, who worked on the legislation at the committee stage, says he “pushed very hard” for ministers to accept other forms of ID like student ID cards or Railcards. He told the committee that these are just as secure as those deemed acceptable for older voters, but that nonetheless his proposals were rejected. Members of the House of Lords also wanted a wider range of IDs to be recognised but their Upper Chamber amendment was swiftly overturned by the government when it went back to the Commons.

The new law will apply to future elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too, and has been described as “legalised voter suppression” by Mr Russell-Moyles and others, such as former leader of the Green Party, Baroness Natalie Bennett. Liberal Democrats are also voicing their opposition, saying the “only outcome” of the Elections Act will be to put “more barriers” in front of marginalised and minority groups as they try to exercise their democratic rights. This includes LGBT+ groups who claim they could be turned away from voting if their ID does not match their current appearance. The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) says that significant numbers may need to access the free form of ID the government has promised to introduce, without providing much information as to precisely when and how this will be made available. Calls for the free form of ID to be on an app or secure website have already been rejected, with the government currently saying it will be on an A4 piece of paper. And councils, charged with overseeing May’s local elections with the help of volunteers, do not currently know how much money they will be offered to support the new mandatory registration of voters. However, the cost of introducing voter ID across the UK has already been estimated at £180m over the next 10 years. An expensive process, particularly when it appears that at this stage the Act is causing more confusion than clarity. Attempts to cast fraudulent votes are rare anyway, with the number at the last General Election standing at precisely six.