Recommendation 18

There have been concerns raised that introducing a voter ID requirement will negatively impact voter turnout. The evidence from what happened in Northern Ireland in 2003 following the move to a photographic ID suggests that a reduction of around 2.3% is possible. We cannot be sure whether this is a one-off drop or one that will continue, as continued monitoring of this issue did not take place in Northern Ireland. What is evident is that some reduction in voter turnout is possible as a result of implementing a voter ID requirement and that this may be the cost of using these measures to guard against the potential that personation could take place under the old system.