Do you think ID is necessary to vote? 

This blog will focus on race inequalities in politics such as voter suppression. Below is a brief introduction to voter suppression in America. But I would like to just focus on how this is now affecting Brits. From not being able to vote in the next local election on the 4th of May unless you have ID, what sorts of inequalities do you think are affecting young Brits today?

 

Voting Rights:

A Brief History of Voter Suppression Against Black Americans

 

 

 So who is getting disenfranchised?

 

 (Figure 1. Percentage of respondents who own each form of photo identification, (Fieldhouse et al., 2021))

 

By combining them into a single indicator, we see that, with the exception of 3.2% of respondents who selected “don’t know,” 5.7% of the eligible voter population lacks any acceptable form of photo identification. This is what we mean by VID poverty. The overall percentage of respondents who lack photographic identification that we find is consistent with a Cabinet Office report released in March 2021, which revealed that 4% of telephone survey respondents lacked a photo ID that could be recognised and 9% lacked an up-to-date photo ID that could be recognised. 11 Given that the majority of individuals (92%) have a passport or a driver’s licence, the availability of alternative voter identification is not very high. For instance, just 8.7% of people lack both a photo passport and a driving licence, therefore only 1.3% of the population would rely only on a trip card, despite the fact that travel cards are the second most popular form of identification, possessed by 15% of the population. In all, 97.6% of those who have a valid form of identification have a passport or a driving licence. (Fieldhouse et al., 2021)

 

 

So how do race inequalities intersect with political engagement?

Individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds may feel that their voices are not heard or that their thoughts are not respected as a result of racial discrimination and prejudice. This can lead to dissatisfaction and disappointment with the political process as certain minorities are rejected to voting as they either do not have the correct ID or it may be expired (baring in mind that to replace ID it can costs into £££’s for a single person’s renewal – ie a passport update).

Moreover, racism and prejudice can have an impact on political parties and their programmes. Certain political parties may utilise racially charged rhetoric or policies that target ethnic minority populations, further marginalising them and preventing them from participating in politics. (Nowacki et al., 2020)

Increased participation of ethnic minority populations in politics, ensuring their perspectives are heard and appreciated, and striving to establish an inclusive and fair political system must all be part of efforts to eliminate racial imbalances. Addressing the underlying structural challenges that perpetuate disparities is also critical so why don’t we start with voter ID and how that is a brutal form of suppression not just for minorities but for all struggling in this cost of living Crisis!

 

Here are some solutions to address race inequalities in political engagement specifically to do with voter suppression:

• Raising representation: Enhancing participation of ethnic minority populations in politics is one strategy to alleviate race imbalances in political engagement. This may be accomplished by specific initiatives to encourage and support ethnic minority candidates, as well as steps to improve diversity in candidate selection procedures a really good example of this is of the Coventry MP Zarah Sultana, she is very well known within the Asian and working class communities in raising her voice against the elitist Tories and their policies.
• Combating Discrimination: Eliminating racial prejudice and discrimination is critical to improving political participation among ethnic minority populations. Racism and prejudice must be addressed pro-actively by political parties and institutions, especially via training and awareness-raising efforts, no wonder certain parties attract a specific kind of audience (if you know what I mean).
• Encouraging voter registration and turnout: Increasing voter registration and turnout can also assist reduce racial disparities in political participation. This can involve focused outreach to ethnic minority populations as well as initiatives to remove voting barriers, such as giving information in different languages and increasing access to polling places and as stated one way of doing this is by eradicating the ID fulfilment that many seem to rightly be against.

Education and awareness-raising efforts can also play an important role in resolving racial inequities in political participation. This might involve giving knowledge about political processes, the value of political engagement, and the effects of policies on various populations. Lastly, legislative improvements can aid in addressing racial disparities in political participation. Ultimately, overcoming racial disparities in political participation necessitates a multidimensional strategy that tackles both structural and individual-level problems. It is feasible to establish a more inclusive and equitable political system for all by taking proactive actions to improve representation, combat prejudice, encourage voter registration and turnout, educate and raise awareness, and implement legislative reforms. ( Alonso-Curbelo, 2023)

 

Personal Opinion?

In my opinion, there are many ways to improve the current system. We can see in other societies how governments and non-governmental groups have developed a variety of policies and programmes aimed at improving the representation and engagement of ethnic minorities in politics. To be completely honest, voter suppression and the use of ID in the UK is also a form of profiling, because if you think about it, it is unnecessary where has this been a problem before? Rather then focusing on the ID the government should really be focusing on the amount of people actually going to vote, from the percentage of people not voting to the the reasons why. i seriously believe if the government was to make voting obligatory on every person from 16 onwards and for the vote to be accessible online as well as in person, voter turnout would be exceptional and also just as the current voter rates are atrocious! Furthermore, all types of individuals would be represented and parties would be forced to actually accept diversity and work on its quotas and policies.

 

But hey I’m just a silly Uni student who would like to see this system in a more utopian light, right?

 

References:

Alonso-Curbelo, A., 2023. The Voter ID Debate: An Analysis of Political Elite Framing in the UK Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs, 76(1), pp.62-84.

2021, A Brief History of Voter Suppression Against Black Americans, NBA 2KTV, [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqcFnxTB3kQ  [28/3/2023].

Fieldhouse, E.A., Prosser, C., Bailey, J. and Mellon, J., 2021. Who Lacks Voter Identification? The Electoral Implications of The UK Elections Bill 2021. The Electoral Implications of The UK Elections Bill.

Nowacki, J.S., Creech, D. and Parks, M., 2020. Political climate, voter suppression policies and federal sentencing outcomes. The British Journal of Criminology, 60(5), pp.1155-1180.