DON FRAMPTON, of Newton Abbot, writes:
I thank the 277 voters of College Ward for voting for me last Thursday.
You gave me more votes than the Conservative candidate. I appreciate you for putting your trust in me.
Can I also acknowledge the result by The Green Party who. with no published literature or canvassing presence, achieved 279 votes – two more than me and it should have been 280 – in haste I forgot to give them my second vote. We both achieved more votes than the Conservative candidate
The Greens supporters must be delighted to see they won Mid Suffolk and took control of the council from the Conservatives.
To vote in The UK there are seven forms of acceptable identity to secure a ballot voting paper.
I think five more apply in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
It’s been estimated that some four per cent of the adult voting population will have none of these forms of identity.
More than 40 million people are of voting age. Many cannot afford a PC and pay for the online costs to use it. Many do not have a mobile phone or know how to use it.
At the last election I think just three people were prosecuted for voting fraud. The cost of implementing this piece of legislation runs into £millions. At minimum, thousands will lose their right to vote
Some voters will have postal votes secured with little or no identity checks. We have no idea who puts the mark on their ballot paper; it could be the elderly or disabled voter, a family member, a friend, a residential care home assistant or owner ? no identity info or check is done.
Let us vote to rid ourselves of this miserable piece of voter identity legislation.