New Ruling to force Brit voters to show I.D. before voting

[katty]

more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5835407.ece

Every British citizen will soon have to sign a form or show identification before they can vote, the Government has announced.

In an historic shift, which comes after years of campaigning by the Electoral Commission and The Times, the Government finally agreed yesterday to end the system whereby one person in each household names all those eligible to vote in their property.

Voters will be allowed to register individually on the electoral roll from the autumn of 2010 by either signing a form or providing identification. Household registration will still be an option until the autumn of 2015, when individual registration will become compulsory if it is given approval by the Electoral Commission.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. *sign a form* or show ID

and that makes a big difference. At the moment, only 1 person per household signs the form, having listed all the people who will be over 18 in the next year. So if they screw up (or do it on purpose), they could stop someone in the house getting a vote; equally, they could make up some extra people, and get extra votes.

From the article, it seems you'll still be able to register to vote, and to vote itself, without any form of ID, if you sign your own form.

[katty]

2. thank you for that explanation-it seems rather a 'maze'

of potential messups.

[bemildred]

3. Well heck, why should you be "forced" to identify yourself before voting?

It's not a serious business is it?
:sarcasm: