Council NOM

Council

Date of meeting: 2 February 2023

Agenda Item 87

Proposer: Councillor John

Seconder: Councillor Mac Cafferty

Ward(s) affected: All

Notice of Motion

Green Group

This council notes:

The local elections in May 2023 will take place requiring Voter ID for the first time
That these plans have been criticised by experts such as the Association of Election Administrators, the Electoral Reform Society and the Local Government Association [1] [2]
That evidence of electoral fraud is low, with no voters being prosecuted in 2021 and four in 2019, but that the number of people who will potentially be disenfranchised by the need for ID is much larger [3]
The Leader of the Council has written to Government regarding Voter ID requesting a delay to its introduction
That a clear communications plan has been produced by the City Council to notify residents of the changes as much as possible including information on web, social media and by letter
These plans are being introduced too late with little time for voters to be informed of the need for ID

Therefore, resolves to:

Reaffirm our opposition to Voter ID following a Notice of Motion in 2019 [4]
Request officers to consider a further briefing for all councillors with information they can share to help residents and with more details on the council’s planned communications

Supporting Information: