Voter ID: Almost 1 in 6 Londoners without suitable documents - report

Since May, all voters must present a valid form of ID before being given a ballot paper

Fifteen percent of people living in London do not have suitable ID to vote in elections, according to research by London Labour.

A new report by the Electoral Commission has also found that young people and ethnic minorities are five times more likely to be turned away from polling stations.

Since May, voters have had to show photo ID to get their ballot paper.

The mayor of London has called for an "urgent" change to the voting rules.

He has raised concerns that the recent changes to the voting system could see many people turned away from polling stations during elections next year.

The Electoral Commission report, which looks at the 2023 local elections across England, found that areas with the most deprivation saw a higher proportion of people turned away from polling stations for not having the right ID.

'Locked out of political process'

Analysis conducted by the mayor's office shows that one in five 18 to 34-year-olds in London do not have the necessary photographic ID, in contrast to a figure of 10% for people aged over 65.

The analysis also found that 85% of white voters say they definitely know how to locate suitable ID, in comparison to 63% of ethnic minority voters.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "We simply can't have a situation where thousands of people are locked out of the political process.

"Alongside expanding the list of eligible ID for younger voters, ministers must urgently bring forward a better-resourced public awareness campaign to reach the voters most impacted by these changes."

He added that "young people are being discriminated against through age-based ID" as the young person's railcard is not accepted as a valid form of ID, whereas older people's travelcards are.

Mr Khan has also raised concerns that Londoners are likely to be disproportionately affected by the need to have voter ID due to the higher turnover of private renters and people on lower incomes.

There are also more than 2.5 million voters in London who do not have a driving licence.

The government has been contacted for comment.

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