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According to the “discriminatory” plan to be announced on Monday, millions of voters may be deprived of their citizenship rights, which will force people to Vote with ID, The Labor Party has issued a warning.
Before submitting the election bill to Parliament, the shadow democracy minister Carter Smith stated that the radical change is tantamount to the Republican-style “voter suppression” of the United States.
The government made this policy one of its flagship announcements in this year’s Queen’s speech and claimed that by combating voter fraud in person, reforms will make elections safer. It also wants to limit the number of mailed ballots that a person can submit on behalf of others.
In the local elections in 2018 and 2019, a series of local elections in the British parliamentary constituencies conducted various voter ID trials, from people only having to show their voting cards to mandatory photo documents such as passports or driving licenses. There were 1,159 people. voter Turned and left at the polling station.
Critics claim that requiring all voters to carry identity documents across the country will cost taxpayers about 40 million pounds in the next ten years, and pointed out that a cabinet office commissioned study released in May found that more than 2 million voters may lack the necessary identity documents to participate in the future. In the election.
The Election Commission also downplayed the prevalence of voter fraud, which stated that the UK has “proved a low level of election fraud.” In 2019, there was only one conviction when a police officer issued a warning for impersonating another voter.
This change will affect elections across the UK and the UK. Voters in Northern Ireland have been required to show proof of identity before voting. Details of acceptable forms of identification will be disclosed when the bill is published.
Smith accused the Conservative Party minister of “using the pandemic to manipulate democracy to their advantage”, calling this “another example.” conservative Distorting the rules for one’s own benefit.”
She said it was “a complete waste of taxpayers’ money” and compared the cost with the government’s decision to reward NHS employees. The salary increase is only 1%.
“Regardless of how the government dresses up, these plans will make it more difficult for the working class, the elderly and blacks, Asians and minority Britons to vote,” Smith said. “They know this is indeed the case because their own research shows that millions of our compatriots in this country do not have photo IDs.”
The Electoral Reform Association stated that these plans could lead to “industrial-scale deprivation of citizenship.”
The Cabinet Office stated that “everyone who is eligible to vote can do this,” and the voter card will be issued free of charge to those who need it to prove their identity. It also emphasized plans to make it easier for British citizens who have moved abroad to vote in elections.
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