Dear Editor, 

For the first time ever, voters in this year’s local elections for Bath and North East Somerset Council will have to bring photo ID to the polling station.

This isn’t a small adjustment – voter ID is the biggest change to our elections in a generation and creates new barriers between the public and the ballot box.

Many people don’t seem to know about the new rules. The Electoral Reform Society reported on polling that found  60% of voters don’t know they won’t be able to vote in May’s elections if they don’t have one of the government’s ‘valid’ forms of photo ID (https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/government-plans-heading-for-failure-as-just-10000-people-apply-for-government-issued-voter-id)

If you don’t have any valid ID you must apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online or you will be turned away.

This whole plan seems ill-thought-out and destined to be a disaster. We should cancel it before it is too late.