Report reveals how many Fifers turned away over ID issues at General Election didn’t go back

A constituency by constituency breakdown has been given for the first time to show the numbers affected by the rule change.

Voters had to show photo ID to vote in the recent poll. According to the Electoral Commission, 300 people were turned away, and 112 of them did not return.

Photo ID proved controversial, with some groups saying it may make voting harder for younger people and ethnic minorities, who are less likely to have a valid form of photo ID. The organisation cautions the true number may be higher than this, as some voters may have been told about the ID requirement by staff before they asked for a ballot, and therefore would not have been recorded as being turned away.

In the Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency, 70 voters were initially turned away from polling stations in July. While 47 of these returned to vote, 23 did not. In Glenrothes and Mid Fife, 82 voters were initially turned away - 46 returned to vote, but 36 did not. In North-East Fife, 68 voters were initially turned away, and 32 did not return.

In the new Dunfermline and Dollar constituency, 21 of 80 people turned away did not return to cast their vote.

Across the UK, 50,000 people were initially turned away due to not having valid ID, with 16,000 people not returning, but some polling stations did not submit data on the number of people unable to vote, so the true figure may be higher.

Vijay Rangarajan, Electoral Commission chief executive said: "This was the first time all voters across the UK were required to show photographic ID at a general election, and the data shows almost everyone was able to do so successfully.

"However, our research shows that the need for ID discouraged some people from voting – and we don’t want to see any voters lose their say."

Polling for the organisation suggests 71% of 18 to 24-year-olds are aware of the rules, compared to 91% for those aged 45 and over. In addition, 76% of people from ethnic minority communities were aware of the rules compared to 90% of white people.

Mr Rangarajan continued: "Everyone eligible should have the opportunity to vote, which is why we are recommending changes that will support those who do not currently have ID and improve the accessibility of elections, while maintaining the security of the process."