AROUND 5% of Scots who did not vote in the General Election said they didn't cast a ballot because of voter ID rules, according to the Electoral Commission.

The watchdog said the statistics suggest the new rules put some Scots off voting. 

It has called for more forms of voter ID to be accepted at polling stations after it found around 16,000 people (0.08%) across the UK could not cast their ballot because of new requirements.

Statistics show around 1400 people in Scotland (0.09%) were unable to vote in July due to the rules, equating to about one in every 1100 in-person voters. 

Awareness of the need to bring ID to a polling station appeared to be higher north of the Border with 90% of people knowing about it. This compared to 87% in England, 89% in Wales and 89% in Northern Ireland. 

Awareness was, however, lower amongst young people (83%), and people from ethnic minority communities (79%).

The commission's analysis, compiling polling station data and public opinion research, found 0.24% of people in Scotland who went to vote at a polling station were initially turned away, but two thirds of these people returned later in the day and were able to vote.

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The evidence suggests that people from poorer backgrounds who did not vote were more likely to say it was because they did not have any accepted ID, the commission said.

Voter ID is not required for Scottish Parliament or council elections in Scotland.

It was previously found that hundreds of voters were turned away from polling stations for the Rutherglen by-election that took place last year. 

The commission called 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 Veteran Card.

Andy O’Neill, head of Electoral Commission Scotland, said: “This was the first time that voters across Scotland were required to show photographic ID to vote at a polling station, and the data shows almost everyone was able to do so successfully.

"However, our research shows that the need for ID discouraged some people from voting – and we don’t want to see any voters lose their say.

“Public awareness of the need for voter ID is high in Scotland, but there are still groups of voters that are less likely to be aware of the need to show ID or that do not have an accepted form.

"Everyone eligible should have the opportunity to vote, which is why we are recommending changes that will support those who do not currently have ID and improve the accessibility of elections, while maintaining the security of the process."

Labour’s election manifesto committed to “address the inconsistencies in voter ID rules that prevent legitimate voters from voting”.

The watchdog called for a review of the voter authority certificate and consideration of whether it could be issued digitally to encourage greater take-up.

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It also suggested registered voters with ID should be able to make an attestation to vouch for someone at a polling station without a suitable document.

Separate figures using data obtained from local authorities show how the margin of victory in some seats at the election was close to the number of people unable to vote.

In the constituency of Poole, which Labour’s Neil Duncan-Jordan won by just 18 votes, 14 voters were recorded as not returning to polling stations after being turned away for not having the correct photo ID.

Some 14 potential voters did not return to polling stations in Basildon and Billericay, where Conservative Richard Holden won by only 20 votes.

Some of the data recorded at polling stations is likely to be incomplete or inaccurate, meaning the reported figures underestimate the impact of the photo ID requirements, the Electoral Commission said.

As such, it is possible the outcome in Poole and other narrowly-won seats may have been different had the rules not been in place.

Photo ID rules were brought in by Boris Johnson’s government as part of the Elections Act 2022, as the then-government said they were necessary to combat the risk of in-person voter fraud.

Johnson (above) was himself turned away from a polling station at the May 2024 local elections after forgetting to take a photo ID.

The commission’s analysis of the impact on July’s General Election was based on data collected by polling station staff and a YouGov poll of 5863 adults between July 4 and 26.