10 May 2021
We strongly oppose the government’s plans to require photographic ID for voting, as well as the introduction of first-past-the-post (FPTP) for mayoral elections.
Electoral Reform UK states that in the UK “11 million do not have a passport or driving licence”. They go on to say “in 2019, there were only 34 allegations of people pretending to be someone else at the polling station – that’s 0.000058% of the over 58 million votes cast”.
This change in voting criteria will disproportionally affect minority communities and groups, with 24% of white people not holding a full driving licence, in comparison to 39% of Asian ethnicity and 47% of Black people. When trialled, requiring voters to bring ID resulted in 2,000 people being turned away from the trial polling stations, with around 750 not returning. This is a flagrant attempt at voter suppression, and yet another move by a government who is afraid of what a real democracy in the UK would look like.
The Green Party strongly supports moving the UK away from FPTP in all elections and introducing a proportional voting system. Introducing FPTP for mayoral elections would be a backwards step for the UK.
As a local Green Party we stand alongside our National leaders to oppose these propositions in the strongest possible terms. We believe that these proposals are an erosion of our democracy, and a blatant attempt to secure power by any means necessary. If you would like to voice your opposition to these proposals, please sign the petitions below, and join the Green Party!
Petition against introducing voter ID: https://action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/35710/petition/1
Petition against introducing FPTP to mayoral elections: https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/petition-less-fptp-not-more
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