Boris Johnson was temporarily turned away from his local polling station

 

Boris Johnson, the former Conservative Prime Minister, was temporarily turned away from his local polling station after forgetting to bring acceptable photo ID. This incident occurred despite his government introducing new rules requiring photo ID to vote in the Elections Act 2022. Johnson later returned with the necessary ID and was able to cast his ballot in South Oxfordshire, where voters were choosing a police and crime commissioner.

The new rules, which were rolled out last year, require voters to show one of 22 accepted forms of ID, including passports, driving licenses, and older or Disabled Person's bus passes. However, some voters, including former service personnel, have been turned away from polling stations due to invalid ID.

Army veteran Adam Diver, who served for 27 years, was turned away from a polling station in Fleetwood, Lancashire, after presenting his veterans' ID card. He felt "gutted" and believed his service was "invalidated" when his card was rejected. Veterans minister Johnny Mercer apologized to Diver on social media and promised to work towards adding the Veteran Card to the list of acceptable voter ID.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Tom Hunt revealed that his dyspraxia caused him to lose his passport and he had to arrange an emergency proxy vote. He warned people criticizing him online to be "very careful with their words."

Transport Secretary Mark Harper acknowledged that there may be some issues with voter ID but believed most voters found it "perfectly straightforward" to vote with the necessary ID. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, who served as Johnson's chief whip, joked that Johnson's forgetfulness was not surprising, but he was able to vote Conservative after returning with the necessary ID.

The Electoral Commission reported that most voters who wanted to vote were able to do so, despite the new rules. However, they acknowledged that some voters faced issues and promised to evaluate the situation carefully. Chief executive Vijay Rangarajan believed that large-scale campaigns to raise awareness of the rules were successful, but teething problems remained.

The incident highlights the potential issues with the new voter ID rules and the need for continued awareness and evaluation to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote.