Voter ID: Democracy Under Pressure

Most people in the UK would take pride in the fact that whatever your political persuasion you can take part in free and fair elections. But two new reports suggest that this right isn’t always all it seems.   The Electoral Commission – the government’s own watchdog – has warned that hundreds of thousands of people could be excluded from voting the next time the country goes to the polls because of new laws on voter ID. 4% of those who didn’t vote in the local council elections in May told the Commission that ID was an issue for them, and that figure rose for those who were from minority backgrounds, younger voters and people with disabilities. And when we do vote? Well a new report by Institute For Government and the Bennett Institute For Public Policy concludes that many people feel disempowered, not least because our first past the post system means that many who vote for smaller parties can feel their vote has been wasted. Adrian Goldberg hears from Byline Times political editor Adam Bienkov, Dr Jess Garland, Director of Research and Policy for the Electoral Reform Society Shaun Roberts, Director of Campaigns, at Unlock Democracy. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White.   Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times.   Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times.