Agenda item

It is expected that following approval of further legislation on the detail, Voter ID will come in to effect from May 2023 elections.

The Elections Act 2022 will require voters in Great Britain to show photographic identification before being issued a ballot paper in polling stations. Failure to show ID will prevent a voter from voting.

To implement this change there are two realistic options available to the council:

The use of Modern Polling, a Government Digital Services approved electronic platform for voter check in and reports provided by Modern Democracy Ltd.

A paper based check-in to check and record voters’ ID.

The Government is not expected to provide the full details of the guidance on Voter ID until at least January 2023, by which time it will be too late for the Council to implement the Modern Polling solution, therefore a decision is required now as to whether the Council is to implement the Modern Polling solution or the paper based option.

Both options will require additional budget. Modern Polling circa. £28,400 per year, paper based solution circa. £11,400 per year.

The Modern Polling solution will also require additional ICT support and internal support from the CSC to our Elections team.

The Head of Customer Experience presented the report and asked for the agreement of Members to implement Modern Polling which was a digital system used to register Voters ID and that the Elections Budget be increased to cover the additional costs.

The paper based option would mean that more polling staff would be required therefore there would be a cost difference of £17,000 more if the digital system were agreed. It was expected that New burdens funding would be received but the sum of which was not known at present.

The Council had a choice of either using a paper based solution or a digital one. The Modern Polling had been approved by the Government’s digital services. The system would use iPad’s to log Voters ID and would operate offline meaning that internet connection would not be required. If this could be implemented now it would give time to train staff and implement the system.

The Chair advised that Watford had already piloted the system and this was the only system on the market at present.

A Member asked why this option had been recommended over the other one. Given the uncertainty, with the guidance likely not being released until January, would it be preferable to go with the paper based option for year 1 and seek further clarity when the guidance was available. What would the justification be for spending the extra money at this time?

The Chief Executive advised that the digital option had been chosen because it was believed there were more risks with paper based option. There would be some requirements from government which the Council were already aware of which would be difficult to complete using the paper based system in a busy polling station. The system was capable of a lot of the recording using a QR code placed on the polling card and this would get the information back to the Government more quickly. There was some uncertainty but the company would be able to meet the criteria even if we did not have full guidance until January. The company had already been working with the Government. If the Council acquired the system early then it could be tested to ensure it was fully capable. If the Council waited until it was a requirement it may be more expensive.

 A Member wondered if the £28,000 annual cost per election could be higher if more than one election was to take place. The Chief Executive advised this was an average figure but if elections were run on behalf of other parties such as Parish Council the costs would go back to the organisation.

A Member asked how the pilot at Watford Borough Council managed postal votes. The Head of Customer Experience said that postal voters were not required to provide ID as this was already confirmed during the registration process.

A Member expressed concerns about the system being complicated when it was a matter of checking ID. The Chief Executive said that certain information would be requested by the government and it was not a simple matter of checking ID as other statistics would be required.

A Member asked if a voter could still arrive at the polling station without their polling card in light of the new QR code being on the card. The Chief Executive advised that people could still turn up without a polling card and be able to vote.

Councillor Phil Williams voted to move the Officers recommendation this was seconded by Councillor Sarah Nelmes.

On being put to the Committee the recommendation was declared CARRIED by the

Chair the voting being unanimous.

RECOMMEND:

Recommends Option 1 the implementation of Modern Polling.

Recommend to Council that the annual Elections budget is increased by £28,400 to cover the costs of Modern Polling.