Liberal Democrats' leader's column: What will voter ID mean for Rochdale?

Andy Kelly is the leader of the local Liberal Democrats party in Rochdale and a councillor for Milnrow & Newhey.

This month he dedicates his column to discussing voter ID, which will be mandatory for the upcoming election.

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From 4 May 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in local elections. From October 2023, it will also apply to UK general elections.

This is basically photo ID, but some critics point out that it still excludes some forms and does not include some types of ID, often used by younger people. Furthermore, it is estimated that over two million people lack the necessary identification. You can, however, apply for something called a Voter Authority Certificate (see below).

The current government has implemented these measures to combat voter fraud, though critics have pointed out that there is very little actual evidence to prove this and that authorities should focus more resources on addressing postal vote irregularities, where you do not need to provide any photo ID to register.

Others have called these measures outright cynical by the current Government to reduce the number of opposition votes, as people without photo ID tend not to vote for them.

So, what might this mean for Rochdale?

Well, currently, about 26% of the electorate has signed up for a postal vote. At the last local election in 2022, around 40% of the turnout voted by mail. Most political parties are encouraging people to sign up for a postal vote, so we can expect that 26% to rise quite significantly, and it’s entirely possible the overall "in person" turnout will fall further.

On the day, polling station lines are expected, and if you're a creature of habit like me, most people vote on their way to or from work, while out walking the dog, or when they've had tea and are about to settle. I don’t imagine people will be motivated to return all the way home if they’ve forgotten their passport, especially given the distance to some polling stations in some parts of the borough.

Regardless of what I think of the measures, we have to do our best to comply with them. I fundamentally believe in fair democracy, so I want to encourage as many people as possible to vote, and we will have to either register for postal or proxy voting or remind as many people as possible to provide the correct ID on the day.

Remember, the overall turnout in 2022 was just 34%. To put it another way, two out of every three people did not vote.

The way in which we vote will continue to change, but what is more important is that we all participate. I believe we should revisit voting for 16-year-olds in England, but that’s for another article.

Remember, decisions are made by those that show up. Please play your part.

Find out more about voter ID and Voter Authority Certificates by visiting the Electoral Commission website: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id