Black voters ‘face human rights breach’ over voter ID plans

Coalition of race equality groups fear 'US-style voter suppression'

Black voters have been found to be less likely to have access to photographic identification. (Picture: Archives)

PLANS FOR voters to show photographic ID at polling stations could risk of breaching the human rights of black voters, a race equality groups have warned.

The government claim their proposals will crackdown on potential voter fraud and intimidation by introducing rules that could leave millions needing to prove their identities before casting their votes.

The move has been heavily criticised by community groups who say the plan could disproportionately disenfranchise black and minority ethnic communities.

The Runnymede Trust, Hope Not Hate and the Race Equality Foundation said the introduction of the government policy amounted to the “importing of US-style voter suppression to the UK”.

People living in urban areas, and those under 20 and over 65 were found to be the least likely to hold a driving licence.

While those in possession of a driving licence has dropped by 40% among under-20s, while a recent survey by Department for Transport found that only 52% of the Black population hold a driving licence, compared with 76% of the white population. 

Following research by Professor Chris Hanretty and Financial Times journalist John Burn-Murdoch, they suggested that those without a driving licence were more likely to report voting Labour (57%) than Conservative (27%) at the 2017 general election.

Kunle Olulode MBE, Director of Voice4Change England, said he was “deeply concerned” by the impending legislation.

“We are troubled by the discriminatory impact that the requirement to have a form of photographic ID will have on citizens’ ability to vote. The evidence base the government has pointed to for having a UK electoral system that has ‘widespread electoral fraud’ simply is not material enough to make these wholesale changes,” he said.

Chloe Smith MP confirmed in June this year that the government intends to go ahead with the plans that will make voter ID mandatory in time for the next General Election and is estimated to affect around 2 million people.

Figures from the Electoral Commission show that 25% of Black voters, 24% of Asian voters and almost a third (31%) of eligible people with mixed ethnicity in Great Britain are not yet registered, compared with a 17% average across the population. 

Olulode added: “At a time when there are still nine million people who are not currently on the electoral register – and of those 25% of Black voters, 24% of Asian voters and almost a third (31%) of eligible people with mixed ethnicity in Great Britain not yet registered, compared with a 17% average across the population, it should be incumbent on the government to remove barriers not put even more up.”


 

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