Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 54
54
Not Addressed
Establish clear criteria for assessing voter ID effectiveness and mitigate negative turnout impacts.
Recommendation
The Government should set out clear criteria for judging the effectiveness of the voter ID policy. This statement should include criteria for assessing the acceptability of any impact of the policy on turnout. A detailed assessment of the general impact of voter ID on turnout and on different demographic groups should be part of post-election reviews, whether carried out by the Electoral Commission or independent research such as that previously carried out by IFF Research. In response to this research the Government should consider all options to mitigate any negative impact of voter ID on turnout. (Recommendation, Paragraph 147) 72
Government Response Summary
The government defends its voter ID policy and cites existing research from the Electoral Commission and IFF Research. While it announces that UK-issued bank cards will be accepted as voter ID to increase accessibility, it does not commit to setting clear criteria for judging policy effectiveness or for detailed post-election reviews of turnout impacts.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
This Government was elected on a manifesto commitment to address the inconsistencies in the voter ID rules that prevent legitimate voters from participating. As set out in the Strategy, the Government is clear that significant improvements are needed to remove barriers to participation while maintaining proportionate safeguards against personation. The Electoral Commission’s report into Voter ID at the 2024 UK general election, published September 2024, showed 4% of non-voters at the 2024 General Election cited voter ID as a factor in their not turning out to vote. Evidence also consistently shows that at least 2% of people in Great Britain do not hold a form of ID on the current list and that certain groups of people are less likely to have accepted forms of ID. Extensive research was also conducted by IFF Research, who looked into the impacts of voter ID on different demographics and their propensity to vote, as published in May 2025 in the IFF evaluation of the impact and implementation of the Elections Act. It is essential to keep our democratic processes under review to ensure they are fit for purpose, which is why we previously amended the list of accepted identifications to include the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card. As set out in the Strategy for Elections, after careful review and consideration of potential changes to ensure the accessibility of the voter ID policy, we will further be amending legislation to permit the use of UK-issued bank cards as an accepted form of voter identification in Great Britain. This change will increase accessibility and ensure greater choice and flexibility for voters. Bank cards are held by the overwhelming majority of the electorate, and this change will significantly reduce the proportion of legitimate electors who are unable to meet the identification requirement. This change is particularly important to ensure those who are less likely to hold photo ID–such as electors with disabilities and younger electors–are effectively able to engage with the democratic process and have their voices heard.