UK: Sunak blocked veterans IDs at ballot box over fears it would 'open floodgates' to students, minister reveals

[RandySF]

Rishi Sunak blocked veterans using their IDs at polling stations over fears it could “open the floodgates” to more students voting, a cabinet minister has revealed.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer complained he had tried “for months without success” to convince Downing Street to let veterans use their IDs to vote. But he said the prime minister’s special advisers blocked the plans over fears it would mean students could use their own ID cards too, according to The Times.

The newspaper obtained photos of Mr Mercer sitting barefoot on a train typing a memo bemoaning the voter ID rules and Mr Sunak’s Downing Street team.

Former service personnel were turned away from polling stations at the local elections earlier this month, including Adam Diver, 46, who served for 27 years and said he was left “gutted” when he was unable to vote.




https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no10-blocked-veterans-ids-ballot-072352970.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJnBHybesIUPGvnV6h5V3rc8raWspprkbkeFEifCDyctDYBUWvvB88lOaaFBwt1UyDE4Olj7jYUHJiG06aldZdQFuXLCbBqHQWP0w3QV9yXL5MYVwur_eplf0zW8J5Wmj9tu3-de03hwNpx2jN-7Hgv5uJVMdTmWFCcE1l-EsLya

[2naSalit]

1. Wow!

[dutch777]

2. Seems like bad optics for Sunak/Tories. Wonder what is acceptable ID?

I get student IDs could be issued from some lesser schools that are not real good on confirming pertinent information. That is not the case with veterans" ID which I would trust more than the average driver's license.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. old people's transport IDs are acceptable; young people's aren't

Acceptable: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id

Not accepted: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/18-plus-student-oyster-photocard

The veterans' ID is fairly new - from the start of this year.

The bias to old people was bad enough, and it sounds like the Tories thought even more publicity about their attempts to keep students out would hurt them (plus the central government probably didn't care too much about the local elections we've just had). Holding the election in July will have the advantage for Tories that undergraduate students will have left their universities, so will be dispersed to home addresses. They can choose which they vote in a general election at, and the Tories will hope they'll be too disorganised/busy with exams to get postal votes for their university address.