Clockwise from top left: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Anish Kapoor, India Amarteifio, Sir Lenny Henry, Kamila Shamsie, David Harewood, Adjoa Andoh, and Paterson Joseph. Composite image courtesy of Getty Images.
July 25, 2024 Story by: Editor
Voter ID laws represent “an attack on the democratic rights of people of color” and should be abolished, according to an open letter sent to Keir Starmer by over 50 prominent actors, artists, campaigners, and figures from minority ethnic communities.
Among the signatories were Sir Lenny Henry, artist Anish Kapoor, actors Sophie Okonedo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, David Harewood, Paterson Joseph, and Bridgerton stars Adjoa Andoh and India Amarteifio, along with writer Kamila Shamsie. The letter argued that there is no justification for the current government to retain these rules.
A recent poll conducted after this month’s general election revealed that more than 400,000 people may have been unable to vote due to a lack of valid ID. It also showed that people from minority ethnic communities were more than twice as likely to have experienced this issue. Specifically, 6.5% of voters of color were turned away from polling booths at least once, compared to 2.5% of white voters.
This general election was the first in the UK requiring voters to present ID. Under a law introduced by the Conservative government, voters must show one of a limited list of photo-based identification documents.
Charities and advocacy groups had previously warned that people from minority ethnic backgrounds would be disproportionately affected, as they are less likely to possess the required ID, and thus more likely to be turned away at polling stations.
The letter, coordinated by the Runnymede Trust and Operation Black Vote, called the rules “an attack on Black and Brown people, and other marginalized communities,” referencing the poll that showed minority voters were 2.5 times more likely to be turned away than their white counterparts.
The letter argues that the previous government introduced these laws “to further their own party political interests”—a claim the Conservative Party denies—and describes the law as “a solution no one asked for, to a problem that didn’t exist,” given the extremely low levels of in-person voter fraud.
“These laws are an attack on the democratic rights of people of color and leave people without a say in the running of our country,” the letter continues. “Our right to vote is even more crucial when over half of Black children are living in poverty in Britain. People have been denied a say in shaping the future of our country. This must change before the next election.”
The signatories also criticized the £180 million of taxpayer money that will be spent each decade on voter-ID guidance and enforcement, calling it unnecessary. “Rather than spending £180m of taxpayers’ money every decade on unnecessary guidance and clamping down on a nonexistent problem, we should simply let people vote—and celebrate them doing so. As the UK’s new prime minister, that historic responsibility falls to you.”
In addition, the letter advocates for automatic voter registration, where individuals are automatically added to the electoral roll by cross-referencing existing databases, instead of requiring them to register proactively. Labour has indicated plans to implement automatic registration but has not yet provided details on the timeline or process.
“In a democracy, every vote should count. It’s time our communities got their vote back. Prime minister, please scrap voter-ID laws and look urgently at implementing automatic voter registration,” the letter urges.
While Starmer’s government has not confirmed plans to eliminate voter ID laws, it has committed to improving the system, which may include expanding the list of acceptable identification documents. Additionally, the government has promised to carefully review the findings of the Electoral Commission’s report on voting in the general election.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, responsible for electoral policy, stated: “We want to ensure that every legitimate voter can exercise their democratic right. That’s why we will conduct a thorough evaluation of the voter ID rules to assess their impact during the general election before bringing forward firm proposals in due course.” Source: The Guardian
