Theresa May has been urged to abandon plans to roll out ‘Voter ID’ rules for UK elections, amid fears they could discriminate against trans and non-binary people.
The UK government recently piloted a ‘voter ID’ system in some areas during local elections, which require people to show a government-issued photo ID before they are permitted to can vote.
The plans had already been likened to US state-level ‘voter ID’ laws, which are routinely criticised for disenfranchisement of African-Americans, the poor, transgender people, and other minority groups unlikely to have up-to-date official IDs.
This week the Prime Minister was urged to “think again” and halt moves to impose mandatory voter ID for further elections, after a report on the trial from the UK’s election watchdog found that “there is not yet enough evidence to fully address concerns and answer questions about the impact of identification requirements on voters.”
The Electoral Commission report had warned: “Wider evidence suggests that further work is needed to make sure that an identification requirement doesn’t stop people who are eligible and
want to vote in future elections.”
The LGBT Foundation signed on to a joint letter by 22 organisations, campaigners and academics, calling for the government to drop the proposals in the wake of the report.
Emma Meehan, Assistant Director Insight and Public Affairs at LGBT Foundation, told PinkNews in a statement: “The Government should be doing everything in its power to open up the democratic process, especially to the most marginalised groups in society.
“We have some concerns that the Government’s plans to conduct further Voter ID trials could disenfranchise some LGBT communities.
“Trans and non-binary people may be disadvantaged by any requirement for voters to show photo ID, as the photo on their ID may not reflect their gender expression or identity, leading to possible challenges from polling station staff. A proportion of the 7.5% of people in the UK without photo ID are LGBT- particularly those who are homeless, or on a low income.
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