Why many people will have their votes blocked at the next elections

It is widely viewed as a solution to a problem that simply doesn’t exist – and it will leave large numbers of people unable to vote when the country next goes to the polls.

In a little-noticed move, and to the despair of the people who run elections, the starting gun has been fired on a requirement for voters to show photo ID before they cast their ballots.

Ministers have quietly decided the new rules will come into force next May, both for local elections and – potentially more explosively – for any Westminster by-elections that follow.

The policy has been hugely controversial from the off, triggering warnings that poorer and ethnic minority voters in particular will end up being turned away by polling booth staff.

This is what happened during trials but ministers have ploughed on, despite openly acknowledging the “problem” of ballot fraud exists on a tiny scale, if at all.

What’s new now is that criticism from election officials has reached deafening levels, as they swamp ministers with predictions of chaos in just six months’ time.

The Electoral Commission, which says 3.5 million voters lack the ID (passport, driver’s licence, concessionary travel pass) required, fears ministers have simply left it too late for them to receive the proof they need.

The plan is to give them free “voter authority certificates” – but draft regulations were delayed four months and failed to even specify the security features needed.

Having finally had the May 2023 introduction date confirmed, the commission will launch a new year public awareness campaign but fears it is too late to train staff and buy equipment.

It is also criticising a deadline of six working days before polling to apply for a voter authority certificate – “significantly earlier than the government had previously indicated”.

“Anyone without one of the required forms of ID who misses the application deadline will have no alternative and will not be able to vote,” the watchdog says.

The Association of Electoral Administrators echoes the criticism, also fearing the volunteers relied upon to make election day run smoothly will decide it’s just too much trouble.

“We can foresee individuals being put in very difficult situations, where they are quite legitimately saying no and it creates difficulties,” said chief executive Peter Stanyon.

Even before May’s inevitable turnaways, an incredible 9 million people are unregistered because the government refuses to use other available data to enrol them – conveniently, non-Tory voters mostly.

All in all, it is impossible to avoid the suspicion that, like the Republican Party across the Atlantic, the Conservatives have spotted the opportunity for some helpful voter suppression.