Title

ELECTIONS

4.5% of voters without ID apply for certificate

Just 89,502 applications had been made before the deadline - representing 4.5% of the estimated two million people who do not possess photo ID required to vote in person.

Less than 5% of people thought to lack valid ID have applied for a voter authority certificate ahead of next week's elections.

Just 89,502 applications had been made before the deadline  - representing 4.5% of the estimated two million people who do not possess photo ID required to vote in person.

Fears of a last-minute surge that could swamp council staff did not materialise, reaching a national high of 4,877 on the final day.

However, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has reported a spike in postal vote applications this year, which is thought to be partly linked to the new voter ID rules.

AEA deputy chief executive Laura Lock said: ‘This may, in part, be due to people taking advantage of time away between consecutive bank holiday weekends, but in many areas political parties have been actively promoting absent voting options.'

Concerns remain over staff recruitment - a long-standing trend that has become more acute this year.

Ms Lock added: ‘Recruiting and training replacement staff becomes more problematic this close to polling day and election teams are working incredibly hard to keep numbers up for 4 May.'

Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Clive Betts, has written to Electoral Commission chair John Pullinger to raise his concerns about the accuracy of data collection.

Mr Betts said recording the number of people turned away at the desk - rather than by any greeters outside polling stations - ‘presents a clear risk to the credibility of any recorded data and therefore any assessment of the true impact of voter ID on voter turnout'.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said voter ID was necessary to ‘keep our democracy secure' and ‘prevent the potential for voter fraud,' and the vast majority of voters already had an accepted form of identification.

They added: ‘The Government has also been working closely with local authorities and other partners to raise awareness, including a widespread public information campaign led by the Electoral Commission.'

ELECTIONS

Breaking the mould

By Bob Neill | 13 May 2026

Sir Bob Neill looks at the multi-faceted implications of what constitutes the ‘new normal’ in politics.

ELECTIONS

The King's Speech must squeeze out more progress on climate

By Christopher Hammond | 11 May 2026

After a bruising local election, the King's Speech needs to bring local leaders and communities closer — not push them away, says Christopher Hammond.

ELECTIONS

New ADASS president's full in-tray

By Lee Peart | 11 May 2026

Newly elected president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Phil Holmes, shares his views on neighbourhood health, Integrated Care Boar...

ELECTIONS

Funding the future: Local government finances, reform and resilience

By Michael Burton | 11 May 2026

Against the backdrop of mounting fiscal pressures, more exceptional financial support requests and uncertainty over funding reform, local authority finance c...

Martin Ford

Popular articles by Martin Ford