Poll: Majority of Britons Support Voter ID Law

A poll found that the majority of people in Britain support a government plan that would require voters to present a photo ID at polling stations.

The YouGov survey shows 61 per cent of the British public supported the government’s voter ID plan, as opposed to just 26 per cent who were against the measure. The poll, conducted on October 16th, surveyed 3,497 people across the country.

The results of the poll show that Tory voters were the most likely to support voter ID, with 79 per cent of Conservatives polled supporting the plan. Though Labour voters were less likely than Tories to back voter ID, 48 per cent were in favour compared to 39 per cent against.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson used the Queen’s Speech to lay out his plan for a new Electoral Integrity Bill.

Under the proposed legislation, voters would have to present a photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s licence, before casting a ballot in any future election. Anyone without an approved form of ID would be able to apply for an electoral identity document in their local council for free.

In May, the government conducted a series of ten “voter ID pilots” and less than one per cent were turned away and did not return to vote due to lack of ID.

The bill would also limit proxy voting as well as requiring those registered for a postal vote to re-apply every three years.

A 2016 report commissioned by former Communities Secretary Sir Eric Pickles revealed UK authorities regularly “turn a blind eye” to voter fraud in heavily Muslim areas because of “political correctness”.

In the report, Sir Eric said: “Our nation has a proud heritage as the ‘mother of Parliaments’, yet the worrying and covert spread of electoral fraud and state of denial by some bodies threatens that good reputation. It is time to take action to take on the electoral crooks and defend Britain’s free and fair elections.”