Watford voters rejected in council elections over ID rules

The May 4 vote was the first time people had to show photo ID at polling stations - with critics beforehand voicing fears over the potential impact.

Passports, driving licenses and blue badges were accepted, along with biometric residence permits, defence identity cards, and national identity cards issued by the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

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• Photo ID requirement poses barrier to some voters

In Watford, 212 voters who were initially turned away later returned with the correct photo ID. However, 104 attendees did not return.

Watford's mayor Peter Taylor described the figures as "really sad", adding "many others will have not even bothered trying to vote" in wake of the new rules.

The mayor continued: "We should be doing everything we can to get people more involved in politics.

Watford mayor Peter Taylor.

"These new rules do nothing to prevent people abusing postal votes, whilst making it more difficult to vote in person with very little benefit."

But ministers claimed the new rules were implemented to reduce electoral fraud.

According to the Electoral Commission, 1,386 cases of alleged electoral fraud were reported between 2018 and 2022. However, only nine led to convictions.

Watford MP Dean Russell is in favour of the changes, stating: "Prior to the new rules on voter ID, it was harder to take out a library book or collect a parcel than it was to vote in someone else’s name in an election and this shouldn’t be the case."

The Conservative MP also noted that the need for photo ID "was very well publicised in the run up to the election", and that "most European countries who also require some form of identification".

Watford MP Dean Russell.

Cllr Nigel Bell, leader of Watford Labour, disagrees with the MP, adding: "It's not good.

"Some people will say that it's only a very small fraction (of those eligible to vote), but it's still worrying because they're trying to find a solution when there's no problem there.

"There isn't a problem. Going back five, six, 10 years, there's hardly any voter fraud at all, and not when people go to vote.

Watford's Labour leader Cllr Nigel Bell.

"I think the issues in the past have been to do with postal votes.

"People might think that it's only small amounts but, when it comes to a general election, you could get some very close results. That's the worry."

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Similar figures to those seen in Watford were also recorded elsewhere, with 193 Dacorum voters initially refused a ballot paper.

149 of these later returned with acceptable IDs, with 44 not returning.

In Three Rivers, 208 eligible voters were initially turned away, with 138 returning.

Meanwhile, in Hertsmere, 249 were refused a ballot paper, with 191 later returning with the correct photo ID.