Fears photo ID rule could spell lower turn out of Fenland voters

Fears that changes to the way we vote could impact democracy have been raised by a concerned Citizen reader.

This year, when local elections are due to be held, voters will have to produce a photo ID before being allowed to put their cross in a box.

Neil Halliday, from Elm, who says he has a general interest in politics, fears the introduction of the photo ID could put some people off voting and have an impact on the democratic process.

He said: "This area already has a low turn out when it comes to elections and I believe introducing photo IDs will be a further disincentive for political engagement and lead to voter turn out getting even worse.

"I recently met a group of friends who I would describe as being 'politically aware' and keep up to date with what's going on in the world, but none of them were aware of the need for photo ID to vote, so it appears work needs to be done to raise awareness.

"My understanding is that central Government has allocated funding for publishing the need for voter ID and supporting individuals to get free voter ID.

"Consequently I have written to Fenland District Council's portfolio holder for communications asking him what the council's action plan is to raise awareness.

"There are a lot of people who don't have a driving licence or a passport, so they are going to have to obtain a photo ID just so they can vote. This will include older people who may have given up driving, young people who haven't learnt to drive and of course people who can't afford to go on holiday abroad and so don't have passports.

"The right to vote for everyone over 18 is a fundamental part of our democracy so it is important that everyone is made aware of the changes that are coming into affect, so everyone can be prepared when the local elections are held in May."

A spokesperson for Fenland Council said they were aware of the changes and the need to publicise them and said the council was waiting on Government who are set to stage a nationwide campaign which will be backed up locally.

She said the understanding was a campaign would be launched this month (January) and that more information would be available on a special website (yet to go live) where people will be able to find out how to get a photo ID if they don't already have one.