ID cards should be mandatory.
Lived inside that system for 26 years now.
Google & FB are far more sinister than a piece of plastic these days.
It makes life MUCH easier
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You can moan about there being a financial barrier to individuals voting and Iād have no problem with that.
I take more issue with the second part. The whole apparatus of voting and elections is funded by the taxpayer. If weāre okay with the tax-payer footing the bill for all of that, then I think we can handle the tax-payer footing the bill to improve that process.
This has nothing to do with tackling voter fraud, the offence of āpersonationā at polling stations is miniscule. At the last election there was just one conviction in connection with an allegation of personation, out of 22 allegations.44.6 million votes cast and 1 conviction. Nothing wrong with ID cards per se, providing they are for the correct, and honest reasons. Issue them automatically on peopleās 18th birthday, as most democracyās do. But the Tories scrapped that plan as 'too expensive. Of course that wouldnāt get the required result. Cursory research shows this latest plan is straight from the Steve Bannon playbook, eagerly implemented by Dominc Cummings. Unlike in mainland Europe where everybody has a mandatory national ID card, in the US and UK the richer you are the more likely you have ID. This may come as a shock to people but there are many citizens of this country who canāt afford to go on foreign holidays and donāt have passports, and many who canāt drive so donāt have a driving licence. Up to 3.5 million people in this country donāt have access to photo ID, and 11 million donāt have a passport or driving licence. Shit, in 2013/14 1.7 million didnāt even have a bank account. I would bet that will be a bit higher now. Should they not get a vote? The homeless, already disenfranchised, wonāt be able to get ID. So the homeless wonāt be able to register a vote against the government of the day, who with their policies are increasing homelessness by record amounts. The very opposite of democracy.
This is a blatant and cynical red herring, designed to con people into thinking that Johnson, Cummings and co actually care about democracy.
Postal votes are subject to electoral fraud. Funding of election campaigns are subject to electoral fraud. The first past the post electoral system is itself a fraud, devised in 1888 to keep the rich elite in power whilst disenfranchising the moderate majority, and it has to be said it has been extremely successful. If the Johnsonās and Rees Moggs of this world get their way, Dickensian lifestyles will no longer be something from the past.
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I totally get your point & agree.
But you also quote that only 2/3tds of the UK bother to vote and only about 5% dont have ID
Do they all bother to vote?
Point is, be careful with numbers
And I think it should be mandatory that everyone has ID cards
Why are people so scared of an ID card? Seriously couldnāt give a shite, if the police are going to fit you up theyāll do it, donāt need a bit of plastic with your photo on it for that, they have lots anyway.
Iām intrigued why people think they should be compulsory/mandatory. Why? Whatās the advantage?
We appear to have managed without.
I am one of those people who can afford ID but in 2012 I wasnāt working after being at uni and my passport ran out. I didnāt have much cash. I donāt drive and only have a paper provisional. I waited about 6 months to renew when Iād got a new job. I did have to use the out of date one once, when asked for ID for buying some wine (I was 37 so quite liked that).
Anyway this is more about a thinly veiled accusation that mainly Labour ethnic minority voters are involved in fraudulent voting (thatās what the comments I see on lovely Twitter are) and ensuring a Tory win next election by disenfranchising some.
Why are they doing this now? I doubt they will bring in free ID cards having previously scrapped the idea of cards in 2010 as soon as they came into power.
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I donāt think people are scared of an ID card. Governments, especially this one are scared of giving one, which is why one of Cameronās first acts was to scrap the idea. Because in a tiny, insignificant way a mandatory ID card at eighteen, identical to all, is equality. Prince or pauper, all must have one. A slippery slope, canāt be having that!
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I was going to mention the Citizen Card but I forgotted itās name
Ok apparently you need a professional person to sign your photo. The GP charges for that kind of thing so some isolated low income people may struggle with that. It says if they donāt sign you have to produce, guess what? Photo ID.
If they waiver that and just give to those on electoral reg with a council tax letter or bill then maybe.
There was a time I didnāt have any of those items either. I lived in someone elseās house on card metres and only had bank statements. I also donāt have my original birth certificate.
There are also some questions about the company and its backers.
What are the benefits?
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This is from somebody that has had to have photo ID due to where he works.
I donāt like it.
I obviously have photo id in passport, Driving licence, TIN number Philippines (thatās a tax number) why do we need another ? the people in the UK that donāt drive or travel abroad should have an NI Number that is individual why can that not be used ?
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Maybe go for some sort of code tattooed on forearm?
There is a data base for NI numbers.
is that not complete?
Hmmm, no canāt do that, would discriminate against people with no arms. Tattoo on the forehead might work though 
Wouldnāt work either, too many people losing their heads over this
And no Muslim ladies could vote you Racist bstdā¦
It would open a can of worms in metropolitan areas as well due to the amount of illegalās in the Country, no Government will openly admit to a total and utter failure of whole immigration system.
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surely photo ID doesnāt work for them either then?
Grant the vote to all 16 year olds along with their National Insurance cards. All NI cards to have photo. All NI cards to be renewed every 10 years. Free. Should make ID cards more palatable.
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Would be up for combining this
Why canāt your NI card double as your driving license and medical card - everything in one place