The rollout of voter ID was a ‘postcode lottery,’ it has been claimed.
While the vast majority of voters were able to take part in the elections, early estimates have suggested thousands of people were turned away and unable to vote, with figures showing wide variations in the number of people able to vote.
Among metropolitan boroughs, 2% of people (1,135) were turned away in Sandwell MBC while in Barnsley MBC the figure was just 0.17% (78 people).
Sandwell’s returning officer Shokat Lal said the council had launched a ‘comprehensive’ awareness campaign and 1,300 people applied for voter authority certificates - one of the highest figures nationwide.
He added: ‘Most people were aware they needed accepted photo ID and anyone who didn’t was encouraged to return later with their ID so they could vote.
'A huge number of those did return and were able to cast their vote.
‘The 340 people who came to vote at a polling station in Sandwell but did not provide an acceptable form of photo ID is the equivalent of fewer than three people per polling station.’
Concerns were voiced in the run-up to the elections that the presence of greeters outside some polling stations could lead to discrepancies in the number of people turned away.
However, figures also showed a gulf between councils in the proportion of people initially turned away who returned with the correct ID.
For Dudley MBC 84% (195) of those turned away did not return, but the figure was just 30% (340) in Sandwell.
Tom Brake, director at Unlock Democracy, which has campaigned against voter ID, said: ‘These statistics reveal a postcode lottery was at work over whether people were turned away from, and then returned to, polling stations.
'This isn't how elections are supposed to work.
‘The more we learn about photo voter ID the clearer it is that far from improving the integrity of elections photo voter ID has undermined it.’
The Government and Electoral Commission are examining the impact of voter ID, with the first report expected later this month.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: ‘Following local elections in May, we are encouraged by the roll out and we are confident the vast majority of voters will have cast their vote successfully.
‘Nonetheless, it is essential that we understand how voter identification has operated in practice.’
