Mandatory Identity Check for Postal and Proxy Votes in UK Elections

People leave after casting their vote at the polling station in Bridlington Priory Church, Yorkshire, England, on May 4, 2023. Danny Lawson/PA Media

An identity check will be introduced for all applications for a postal or proxy vote in UK elections under the government’s plan to bolster election integrity.

In a written statement to Parliament published on Tuesday, Communities Minister Baroness Scott of Brybrook said the government is “introducing appropriate safeguards to reduce the opportunity for individuals to exploit the absent voting process and steal votes.”

At present, voters do not need to show ID if they are voting by post. But under the new measures, voters will have to go through an online identity check when they apply for absentee voting, which covers both postal and proxy voting.

The current rules allow someone to vote on behalf of an unlimited number of close family members. But under the new rules, people will only be able to act as a proxy for a maximum of four people, including a maximum of two UK-based voters.

Currently, people can hold their postal vote indefinitely and only need to provide a fresh signature every five years. But the new rules will require voters to reapply for a postal vote every three years.

Scott said: “The changes set out in these regulations deliver on our manifesto commitment to protect the integrity of our democracy, as legislated for by Parliament through the Elections Act 2022. It is paramount that we preserve trust in our electoral processes and ensure elections remain secure well into the future.”

Voter ID

The changes follow the government’s introduction of voter ID requirements, which was put into practice for the first time in the English local elections earlier this month.

Under the Elections Bill passed in April 2022, those turning up at polling stations must show a valid photo ID before being given a voting slip.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, on May 24, 2023. Jordan Pettitt/PA Media

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the rule change would help make sure voting is a “high-integrity process.”

Voter ID is not entirely a novelty for the UK, as it has been a requirement in Northern Ireland—a British province—for nearly 40 years.

Voter ID requirements were introduced in Northern Ireland after the 1983 general elections following concerns about the extent of voter fraud in the British province. Since 2003 photographic ID has been required.

According to a briefing paper for the House of Commons, “There has been no evidence that the ID requirements in Northern Ireland have affected turnout.”

Since 2014 the Electoral Commission has recommended that photo ID should be required in the rest of the UK.

Opposition

Much like in the USA, voter ID checks have become a hot topic in the UK, with the opposition Labour Party calling the new ID requirement a discriminatory policy that will “disenfranchise millions of voters.”

Labour also encouraged voters to register for a postal vote, which was not subject to the same voter ID regulations.

The new measures on absentee voting will apply to UK Parliamentary elections and other elections, referendums, and recall petitions administered by the UK government.

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford shakes hands with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at the Welsh Labour Conference at Venue Cymru, in Llandudno, Wales, on March 11, 2023. Jason Roberts/Getty Images

The measures will not be applicable to local elections in Scotland, and local elections in Wales apart from Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which are administered by the devolved local governments.

The Labour-controlled Welsh government has said it will not require voter ID in Wales.

Earlier this month, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford claimed voter fraud “doesn’t exist” and claimed the Conservative Party is using “far-right” tactics from the United States to make it more difficult for people to vote.