Five Isle of Wight residents were stopped from voting in a by-election last night (Thursday) because they had no photo ID on them.
The by-election yesterday was the first time photo ID was needed to fill a vacancy on the Isle of Wight council since the rules were changed by central government earlier this year.
The requirement for photo ID to be brought along to the polling station was introduced in the hope it would prevent voter fraud.
Refused without photo ID
Yesterday, residents of Wootton Bridge went to the polls to elect someone to represent them after the resignation of disgraced former councillor Daryll Pitcher, who is currently in jail for historic child sex abuse offences.
Those who turned up to the polling station without a valid photo ID — passport, driving licence or concessionary bus pass — were refused a ballot paper and could not vote.
The numbers
After the votes were counted, and the Liberal Democrat’s Sarah Redrup was declared the winner, the Isle of Wight council confirmed it did have to stop some members of the public from voting.
A spokesperson confirmed five electors were refused a ballot paper due to having no voter ID or they produced an invalid ID.
A further three residents were initially turned away for having no ID but later returned with an acceptable form and voted.
35 per cent turnout
As reported by News OnTheWight, fewer than 1,000 votes were cast overall, with only a 35 per cent turnout — four per cent down on the May 2021 election.
A potential 2,830 residents in the Wootton Bridge ward could have voted.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: secretlondon under CC BY 2.0
