| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, including provision designed to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process; about overseas electors; about voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens; about the designation of a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission; about the membership of the Speaker's Committee; about the Electoral Commission's functions in relation to criminal proceedings; about financial information to be provided by a political party on applying for registration; for preventing a person being registered as a political party and being a recognised non-party campaigner at the same time; about regulation of expenditure for political purposes; about disqualification of offenders for holding elective offices; about information to be included in electronic campaigning material; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2022 c. 37 |
| Introduced by | Kemi Badenoch, Minister of State for Levelling Up Communities (Commons) Lord True, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Lords) |
| Territorial extent |
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| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 28 April 2022 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Elections Act 2022 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
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The Elections Act 2022 (c. 37) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was introduced to the House of Commons in July 2021 and received royal assent on 28 April 2022.[1] The act makes photo identification compulsory for in-person voting in Great Britain for the first time.[2][3] Before the act was passed, Northern Ireland had been the only part of the UK to require voter identification. The act also gives the government new powers over the independent elections regulator;[4] the Electoral Commission has said it is "concerned" about its independence from political influence in the future.[5][6][7]
According to academic research presented to the House of Commons in 2021, these changes could be expected to result in 1.1 million fewer voters at the subsequent general election due to the photo ID requirement.[8] Key elements of the act were opposed by parliamentary committees, the House of Lords, the Electoral Commission, devolved governments, and academics.[6] Changes proposed by the House of Lords were rejected by the House of Commons, dominated by Conservative MPs under the whip of Boris Johnson's government.[6][9]
The bill for the act was highly contentious. Some opponents said it would hinder certain groups of people from voting, because they were less likely to have photo IDs. The Liberal Democrat peer Lord Wallace described it as a "nefarious piece of legislation" that is "shabby and illiberal".[10][11] Toby James, a professor of politics and public policy, has said "the inclusiveness of elections has been undermined by the act and it weakens the UK's claim to be a beacon of democracy".[6] The Labour Party said the Conservatives are "trying to rig the rules of the game to help themselves".[12] A free voter ID card was introduced for those who did not have other forms of identification.
The bill also changed mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections from a supplementary vote (SV) system to a first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, which critics say are an attempt by the ruling Conservative Party to make it easier to win future contests without getting a majority of the total votes, most particularly in London (as a plurality would suffice for a victory).[13]
- ^ "Elections Bill". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 5 July 2021. p. 1. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (5 July 2021). "Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ Webster, Julia (5 July 2021). "New Elections Bill to 'protect democracy', says government". BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ Lothian-McLean, Moya (10 January 2022). "Opinion: Boris Johnson Is Revealing Who He Really Is". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "The controversial new laws rushed through by the government this week". The Big Issue. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d James, Toby. "Democracy undermined: elections in the UK are changing – here's how". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Electoral Commission 'concerned' after Tories vote to put it under government control". The Independent. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "The Elections Bill, Report".
- ^ "Elections Act 2022 Consideration of Lords amendments - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament".
- ^ Saltaire, Wallace (25 February 2022). "Elections Bill is a nefarious piece of legislation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Rocha Menocal, Alina (18 April 2022). "Why the UK Elections Bill undermines democracy". openDemocracy. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "'A full-fronted attack on our democracy': New voter ID laws make it harder for young people to vote". The Big Issue. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Waterson, Jim (9 May 2021). "Government to change English voting system after Labour mayoral victories". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2023.