Sunday, October 13, 2019
UK Government to pursue voter suppression in Queen's Speech
Over at the Telegraph we learn that the UK Government is to announce in the Queen's speech that it will push ahead with proposals to require voters across the country to show identification such as driving licences or passports before casting their ballot.
They say that Ministers are planning to introduce a legal requirement for voters to produce photographic ID, in order to safeguard against electoral fraud. A new Electoral Integrity Bill will also limit the number of relatives for whom anyone can act as a proxy, and outlaw the "harvesting" of postal ballots by political parties and activists.
Although there is limited evidence of fraud with postal and proxy voting, there is very little, if any at all, of identity fraud at the ballot box. The real reform that needs to be instituted is to better regulate party spending and donations.
Of course the Tories won't do that for fear of cutting off their own income, nor will they introduce much needed state funding because they do not want a level playing field.
Instead we are getting voter suppression, US style, as evidenced by the pilots where it quickly became clear that the requirement to produce ID was preventing ethnic minorities and people from poorer backgrounds from casting a vote.
This blatant gerrymandering needs to be stopped.
They say that Ministers are planning to introduce a legal requirement for voters to produce photographic ID, in order to safeguard against electoral fraud. A new Electoral Integrity Bill will also limit the number of relatives for whom anyone can act as a proxy, and outlaw the "harvesting" of postal ballots by political parties and activists.
Although there is limited evidence of fraud with postal and proxy voting, there is very little, if any at all, of identity fraud at the ballot box. The real reform that needs to be instituted is to better regulate party spending and donations.
Of course the Tories won't do that for fear of cutting off their own income, nor will they introduce much needed state funding because they do not want a level playing field.
Instead we are getting voter suppression, US style, as evidenced by the pilots where it quickly became clear that the requirement to produce ID was preventing ethnic minorities and people from poorer backgrounds from casting a vote.
This blatant gerrymandering needs to be stopped.
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These policies should be shown in Focus leaflets to indicate to voters that US gerrymandering leads to LESS democracy and a one party state with the opposition always in opposition..
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