Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Paragraph: 97
The Government presented to the Committee a case that there is underreporting of personation at...
Conclusion
The Government presented to the Committee a case that there is underreporting of personation at UK elections. While the Government refused to be drawn on how extensive it believes the underreporting has been, it has implied that it is at a significant enough level to justify introducing a compulsory voter ID requirement. What is clear is that there is currently no evidence of widespread personation at UK elections, though we note the former responsible Minister’s observation that cases of electoral fraud are likely underreported, so that nobody can be sure that the reported number of cases accurately reflects the true scale of fraud being carried out. It is surprising and concerning that the Government has considered there to be a significant issue with the UK’s elections system and has not endeavoured to seek out and present substantial evidence of those concerns. The research done to provide evidence to support this policy proposal has simply not been good enough. Given the Government’s conviction on this issue, Ministers should have presented a more robust evidence base.
Paragraph Reference:
97
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government takes its Public Sector Equality Duty seriously. We have given due regard to it throughout the planning for implementation to date and we have always been clear that we will continue to do so. An Equality Impact Assessment was carried out for this Bill and was published in July 2021. Under our proposals for introducing voter identification, everyone who is eligible to vote will continue to have the opportunity to do so. As our policy statement makes clear, the list of accepted identification has been drawn up with accessibility specifically in mind, as well as security. Eligible voters who nonetheless do not have one of the wide range of acceptable forms of photographic identification will be able to apply for a free Voter Card from their local authority. They will be able to do so at the same time as when they register to vote, so applying for Voter Cards will be easy and accessible to all voters who may need one.