UK government plans to require compulsory ID for voting have been described as a “Tory ploy that would disenfranchise the poorest” – with more than half of adults living in low-income households not owning a full driving license.
The UK government announced plans late last year to pilot compulsory ID for voting. Local authorities will trial different forms of ID, including driving licences, passports and utility bills. The plans were criticised by the Electoral Reform Commission as a “blunt instrument”.
Latest figures available to the Scottish Government show that possession of a full driving license increases with income – with 45 per cent of adults living in low-income households (net annual household income of up to £10,000) held a full driving licence, increasing to 89 per cent of those in high-income households (net annual household income of over £40,000). 32% of adults in Scotland do not have a driving license.
SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said: “The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy – and no politician should get in the way of the public exercising that right.
“The evidence is clear that ownership of photo ID is directly related to household income, and these changes would naturally affect low-income voters most.
“After the change to individual voter registration saw hundreds of thousands drop off the register, these plans look like the latest Tory ploy that would disenfranchise the poorest.”
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