UK to allow voting with bank cards as ID proof

The UK government is introducing a set of measures to boost participation in elections, including reducing the voting age to 16 and expanding the number of documents that can be used for Voter ID, including digital ones.

UK-issued bank cards are expected to become an accepted form of ID at polling stations alongside digital versions of the Veteran Card and UK driving licence (mDL), which are expected to roll out this year. The government is also planning to create a new digital Voter Authority Certificate (VAC), a digital version of a photo ID issued by local councils to those without any other form of ID.

“Alongside expanding the right to vote, we are going further to restore and maintain public trust by ensuring elections are as accessible as possible for legitimate voters,” Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali said on Thursday.

According to findings from the Electoral Commission, among people who didn’t vote, four percent said they did not vote at the 2024 General Election because of a lack of voter ID. The parliamentary elections were the second time voters were required to show photo IDs at polling stations after the 2023 local elections.

Voters were allowed to use more than 20 forms of ID, while the government also introduced voter authority certificates (VAC). Despite this, the introduction of photo ID has caused controversy, with criticism emerging that the requirement could exclude certain populations.

One solution is introducing bank cards as a form of ID: Over 96 percent of those aged 14 and over in the UK have a bank account, the government says in its strategy paper.

“Boosting participation is crucial to restoring faith in democracy, and adding the Veteran ID card last year to the accepted forms of Voter ID was just the start of this,” says Ali. “Through the new plans, the government is going further to allow UK-issued bank cards to be used as ID when voting, making it far easier for more voters to meet the requirements.”

The next step is introducing an elections bill, followed by secondary legislation that will lay out the details for implementation.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  elections  |  identity document  |  UK digital ID  |  voter registration