Electoral administrators "haunted by spectre of next general election" as voter ID adds to burdens, research suggests

Voter ID requirements in the May local elections were implemented without "significant visible problems", but elections administrators are "haunted by the spectre" of the next general election that will bring a higher turnout, new research from the Local Government Information Unit's (LGIU's) Local Democracy Research Centre suggests.

In its report on the impact of voter ID, the thinktank concluded that despite there being no significant visible problems "under the surface, there are severe pressures in the world of electoral administration".

The research, based on a survey of 171 electoral administrators and 11 interviews carried out in the wake of the May local elections, found that electoral administrators are contending with resource constraints, complex legislation, tight timetables, and a stressful working environment, "and voter ID has added to each of these issues".

Parliament passed the Government's plans to introduce voter ID in December 2022, following the passing of the Elections Act 2022. In the months between then and the May elections, the Local Government Association (LGA) raised a series of concerns about the strain on electoral administrators and called for a delay in its introduction.

The LGA and the Jo Cox Foundation also warned that election staff could face abuse as a result of the new requirements.

In its analysis of the May elections, the LGIU has said that while it appeared as though voter ID was introduced without issue in the May elections, most problems remained "behind the scenes".

On top of this, electoral administrators reported to the LGIU that they were concerned "that the pressures of a general election will offer an opportunity for serious disruptions to occur".

In terms of administration, the report stated that administrators generally found that voter ID added to their existing pressures. For instance, short timetables, limited resources, issues with recruiting temporary staff, complicated legislation and guidance and the stress of working on elections were all said to have been exacerbated by voter ID.

On the security of elections, administrators were not concerned about electoral fraud, the report noted, but showed some concern about the increased risk of disturbances at polling stations, especially at a general election.

Since the introduction of voter ID requirements, there have been concerns about people not being able to vote due to not having the means to obtain identification.

However, the LGIU's research suggested that electoral administrators were "split" on the question of whether voter ID had an outsized effect on certain social groups, with many reporting that the low-turnout nature of local elections and the limited available data made this hard to determine.

"Those who did specify certain groups who may have found it more difficult, mentioned elderly electors, younger electors, disabled electors, electors without English as a first language, LGBTQ+ electors, electors who wear face coverings for religious reasons, poorer electors and electors without access to the internet."

As to the potential for fraud, administrators were unconvinced that the introduction of voter ID had reduced public concerns about fraud, according to the LGIU.

Commenting on the findings, the LGIU's chief executive, Jonathan Carr-West, said the pressures caused by reduced budgets and staff shortages had been compounded by an unprecedented series of challenges since the EU referendum in 2016.

"The Elections Act (2022) is just the latest in a series of challenges for electoral administrators that have transformed the role. As one of our interviewees for this study put it: 'Every year, we kind of say it can't be as bad next year. It can't be. And every year it seems to get even worse.'

"As a consequence of this weakening of the electoral infrastructure, the small electoral services teams have had to fill in the gaps, compensating for the complexities and pressures of election delivery by working harder and harder," he noted.

But Carr-West said no essential service should rely on "goodwill, and no workforce should be systematically subjected to inhumane levels of stress and overwork".

On voter ID, he added: "Finally, although the overall story with voter ID for this election was that it was delivered successfully – albeit due to the extraordinary efforts of administrators – our interviews and survey were haunted by the spectre of the next general election.

"A higher-turnout election, with electors likely to be more emotionally invested, areas that have not had a chance to try voter ID yet taking their first attempt, and a whole tranche of new legislative changes, mean that the story with implementing compulsory voter ID is far from over."

Responding to the report, Peter Stanyon, chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said: “Introducing voter ID has been the biggest challenge in a generation for the unsung heroes who diligently run elections across the UK. The evidence in this report independently confirms our concerns around the effects of unsystematic change on the dedicated professionals tasked with making it work. 

“Electoral administrators worked tirelessly to make sure the vast majority of electors understood the new voter ID requirements in May, but the level of effort and overtime now needed to successfully run elections is unsustainable and unreasonable."

Stanyon added: “As we stated when launching our 2023 post polls report, we are concerned that only a major electoral failure will focus attention on our electoral system’s vulnerabilities. Stacking significant changes on endemic issues is increasing risk for all elections, but especially a looming high turnout general election. 

“There is a temptation to dismiss concerns around elections because electoral administrators always pull it out of the bag. But this is increasingly unsustainable. With even more complicated Elections Act changes due this and next year, the risk of failure in individual constituencies cannot be discounted.  

“It is time for legislative consolidation and a review of core electoral delivery processes, for the benefit of everyone involved in running, running in and voting in elections.”  

Adam Carey