Richmond upon Thames saw voters turned away and experienced low awareness of voter ID requirements during recent elections, according to a report discussed at a Policy and Performance Review Board meeting on Thursday, 17 July 2025. Concerns were raised that the term 'VAC' (Voter Authority Certificate) itself might be deterring people from applying.
The report, which reviewed the impact of the Elections Act 2022, revealed that while most people were aware of the need to bring photo identification to polling stations, awareness was lower among younger age groups and ethnic minority communities. Councillor Mansfield stated that I suspect the very name VAC is enough to put most people off. So we need to sort of miff-bust a little bit on that.
The Elections Act 2022 requires voters to show photo ID at polling stations. Accepted forms of identification include passports, driving licences, and the Freedom Pass. Those without accepted ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC).
According to the Voter Identification and the Elections Act report, during the 2024 GLA elections, 91 electors were turned away for not having the correct ID, with 58 returning later with the appropriate documents. For the UK Parliamentary Elections, 71 electors were initially turned away, and 51 later returned with the correct ID. The report also provided data on voter ID checks:
- For the GLA Elections 2 private ID checks were conducted
- For the UK Parliamentary Elections 1 private ID check was conducted
Councillor Mansfield voiced concerns about the disproportionate impact on certain demographics, stating that awareness was lower at 71% for younger age groups and 76% for ethnic minority communities. She advocated for targeted communication campaigns to address this disparity.
John Evans, Assistant Chief Executive, acknowledged the issue and suggested that the term VAC
itself might deter people. He mentioned potential plans for a communications campaign in collaboration with the Electoral Commission. The Voter Identification and the Elections Act report mentions leaflet distribution to community groups via Community Engagement, leaflets placed in all libraries across the borough, and electoral staff attending the Full of Life Fayre in 2024, as ways to improve voter ID awareness.
Councillor Wren suggested working with local colleges to raise awareness, proposing a competition for the best poster or video explaining VACs. Evans responded that the council had already begun a project to engage with colleges and schools.
Councillor Chard raised concerns about EU citizens losing their voting rights due to changes following Brexit. He suggested writing to the borough's three MPs to advocate for less restrictive voter ID laws and reciprocal arrangements with EU countries. He also noted that extending voting rights to non-UK citizens would require legislative changes at the national level, and suggested contacting the borough's MPs to push for changes.
Councillor Cardy supported the idea of writing to MPs, suggesting that the letter should also point out that the voter ID scheme wastes a whole load of money and suppresses a whole load of people from voting
. Councillor Cardy also suggested feeding back to central government that where there is a change of name, there should be some way of communicating that, so people can prove their name change when presenting their ID. Also, the committee discussed the possibility of scrapping the voter ID scheme altogether.
The board ultimately agreed to write to the MPs, urging them to lobby the government to scrap the voter ID scheme or, failing that, to modify it to be less restrictive, improve access for young people, and extend voting rights to non-UK citizens residing in the borough.
