Postal vote response to 'gerrymandering' ID plan

Gateshead Council's leader said an urgent discussion was needed

Improved postal voting could address concerns new identification (ID) laws will lead to voter “suppression”, a council leader has said.

The new Elections Act 2022 requires voters to present ID before casting their ballot in elections.

Gateshead Council Labour leader Martin Gannon called it "political gerrymandering" and said its impact on turnout was intentional.

The government has said everyone eligible to vote would "continue to have the opportunity to do so".

It said it "acknowledges levels of fraud are low" but "every ballot matters".

In 2021 the Electoral Commission recorded 79 incidents of voting violations that warranted investigation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

These cases were spread across multiple elections throughout the UK including local, mayoral, police and crime commissioner, and parliamentary by-elections.

'Massive, huge impact'

Opponents of voter ID say it risks disenfranchising some voters.

Charities have pointed out people with learning or other disabilities may have no passport or driving licence, limiting what they can provide as ID at polling stations.

Mr Gannon said an "urgent discussion" was needed.

"This is going to have a massive, huge impact on voter turnout," he said.

“Which, of course, is the reason why it was introduced. It is political gerrymandering of the worst order.”

The solution was to improve postal voting, which does not require ID, he said.