Petition · past parliament · Cabinet Office
Remove the requirement of ID to vote at polling stations
Closed
58 signatures
What the petition asks
4th May 2023 - the first UK elections to require photo ID. This resulted in about 14,000 people being turned away, and there are concerns the policy disproportionately affects ethnic minorities and unemployed voters. The scheme silences voices of already under represented groups. We want it removed.
We believe this requirement is unjust and suppresses the voices of those that are less educated, time poor and/or in minority groups. It creates barriers to exercising their fundamental democratic right to vote. Its only role is to combat the issue of personation (pretending to be someone else to use their vote) of which there were only 13 alleged cases in 2022.
Francis, S. (2023). ID rules stopped 14,000 voting, watchdog finds. [online] BBC News
Uberoi, E. and Johnston, N. (2021). Voter ID. commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Francis, S. (2023). ID rules stopped 14,000 voting, watchdog finds. [online] BBC News
Uberoi, E. and Johnston, N. (2021). Voter ID. commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Timeline
| 28 Jun 2023 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 28 Dec 2023 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
58
Status
Closed
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
28 Jun 2023
Closed
28 Dec 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.