The 2024 UK Parliamentary general election was held on Thursday 4 July. This was the first time that all voters across the UK were required to show an accepted form of photographic identification at polling stations for a general election. Key findings show:

The data, collected by polling station staff, suggests that around 16,000 people were unable to vote in July due to the requirement, equating to about one in every 1,200 in-person voters

Around 4% of people across Great Britain who did not vote said – unprompted – that the requirement to show ID was a factor. Among 18-24 year olds this figure was higher at 6%.

Awareness of voter ID reached between 87% in Great Britain by polling day. However, awareness continues to be lower for certain groups, including 18-24 year olds and people from ethnic minority communities.

The Commission is therefore recommending changes to make it easier for those who do not already have ID to vote. The Commission is calling for the UK Government to:

• Review the list of accepted ID to identify any additional documents that could be added, such as the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card and the 18+ Student Oyster photocard, in addition to the Veterans card.
• Undertake and publish a review of the Voter Authority Certificate and consider whether it could be issued digitally to encourage greater take up.
•  Enable registered voters who do have accepted ID to make an attestation at their polling station on behalf of someone who does not have accepted ID – known as ‘vouching’.