Think about attempting to get this completed in America — The transfer comes after Sir Eric Pickles, a former Conservative Cupboard minister, warned earlier this yr that election fraud had been allowed to happen in Muslim communities due to “political correctness”. Sir Eric mentioned that the authorities have been in a “state of denial” and have been “turning a blind eye” to election fraud.
After all, it’s the left who’s balking as a result of they’re the election fraudsters. Just like the Democrats.
Voters must present passports to fight voter fraud in ‘weak’ areas with giant Muslim populations
Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor, The Telegraph, 27 December 2016 • 11:08am
Voters in cities and cities with giant Muslim communities the place there are issues about election fraud must present their passports or driving licences earlier than casting their poll.
The Authorities has introduced that voters must produce identification to vote to scale back the danger of “endemic corruption” and shield the democratic course of.
The voter ID scheme shall be trialled in 18 areas which have been recognized by police and the Electoral Fee as being “weak” to voting fraud, together with Bradford and Birmingham. The pilot schemes shall be applied throughout native elections in Could 2018 earlier than they’re rolled out nationwide.
The Authorities can even introduce laws to ban political campaigners from handing in giant numbers of accomplished postal ballots on election day.
It comes after issues that activists are “harvesting” votes to spice up assist.
Ministers are additionally ready to lift the utmost sentence for electoral fraud from two years to 10 to behave as a “deterrent”.
The Authorities can also be contemplating checking folks’s nationality to stop immigrants who will not be entitled to participate in UK elections from voting.
In an article for the Telegraph, Chris Skidmore, minister for the Structure, mentioned: “We already ask that folks show who they’re to be able to lease a automotive, purchase a mortgage or journey overseas – and I imagine we must always go additional by taking the identical strategy to guard voting rights.
“In lots of different transactions ID is an important requirement – voting for a democratically elected authorities, your MP or your councillor is among the most essential transactions somebody could make and it’s proper that in flip their id and the safety of their vote must be protected.”
The Electoral Fee has chosen 18 areas the place police have raised issues about electoral fraud. The at-risk areas embody Birmingham, the scene of a infamous ballot-rigging case in 2004 which the presiding choose mentioned would “shame a banana republic”.
Pilots can even happen in Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Bristol, Burnley, Calderdale, Coventry, Derby, Hyndburn, Kirklees, Luton, Oldham, Pendle, Peterborough, Slough, Tower Hamlets, Walsall, and Woking.
It has warned that there’s a specific concern on the “vulnerability of some South Asian communities, particularly these with roots in components of Pakistan or Bangladesh, to electoral fraud”.
The transfer comes after Sir Eric Pickles, a former Conservative Cupboard minister, warned earlier this yr that election fraud had been allowed to happen in Muslim communities due to “political correctness”. Sir Eric mentioned that the authorities have been in a “state of denial” and have been “turning a blind eye” to election fraud.
The Authorities has hailed Sir Eric’s report as an “essential step” and warns that “vulnerabilities can’t be allowed to proceed and undermine our democracy”.
Ministers are additionally making ready to introduce better powers to allow police to cease folks from “inflicting a nuisance” or “intimidating” folks at polling stations.
The Authorities can even difficulty stronger steerage to make sure that persons are not allowed to make use of their smartphones to take footage whereas they forged their vote. It rejected calls by Sir Eric to make taking footage unlawful.
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone, who’s at the moment suspended from Labour, criticised the proposals, saying they’d unfairly have an effect on these extra prone to vote for Labour.
Talking on Radio four’s In the present day programme he mentioned: “Simply consider the uproar there could be if we mentioned there’s an terrible lot of shoplifting happening, we’re going to go looking each buyer as they go away.
“It’s actually dangerous to make life tougher for the overwhelming majority of individuals simply when you find yourself coping with a handful of dodgy council candidates.
“The true drawback is the folks almost definitely to not have a passport or a driving licence are going to be the poorest.”
He added: “And that I think, as soon as once more – like the choice final yr to knock lots of people off the electoral register- will mainly hit the Labour Occasion.”
