The UK government has proposed making photo ID mandatory for voting (currently it's only needed in Northern Ireland), and it's been controversial for similar re

The UK government has proposed making photo ID mandatory for voting (currently it's only needed in Northern Ireland), and it's been controversial for similar reasons to the USA. The legislation is currently progressing through parliament. The Government's research shows that 2% of the UK population doesn't have any form of photo ID, and up to 9% of the population don't have a valid photo ID (i.e. one that would be recognised for voting purposes and has not expired). [0] The idea that 9% of the population would need to go through additional processes and costs to retain the right to vote is concerning to many. There's no ID card scheme in the UK, so people typically rely on a driving licence or passport in day to day life. These both have requirements people may not be able to meet (e.g. health conditions may prohibit a driving licence being obtained), and can be expensive. Fortunately, the UK government has announced plans for a free voter ID card to be made available to anyone without another form of ID. It then comes down to a cost/risk analysis. The UK government estimates it could cost something like £18 million per year to implement the photo ID requirement. If the types of fraud that would be prevented by asking for ID are miniscule (33 allegations of voter impersonation were made in 2019 out of 50 million votes cast) and so many people don't have ID - is it worth that cost? [0] - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/984918/Photographic_ID_research-_headline_findings_report.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/...