Carmichael joins “impressive” Downing Street petition hand in against voter ID restrictions

Campaigners criticised the identification restrictions, which will be implemented for the first time in local elections this year, as unnecessary, and risking limiting voting rights and reducing turnout.

The Liberal Democrats have a bill before Parliament which would reverse the voter ID restrictions.

Speaking after the petition hand-in, Mr Carmichael said:

“I am glad to join my party and Unlock Democracy in resisting these backwards, harmful ID restrictions. It has been an impressive piece of work to gather support for this petition and press for a response from ministers.

“There is no meaningful evidence that these measures were necessary and plenty of evidence that voter rights could be curtailed, with some of the most vulnerable in society being worst affected.

“With voter fraud convictions in the single digits, the massive and sweeping ID requirements brought in by the government have always been hard to justify. That is still more true when you consider the enormous cost of these new systems at £180m per decade by the government’s own estimation.

“What we need is real electoral reform and proportional representation, so that everyone’s vote is properly counted. Distorted democracy breeds contempt and entitlement – as we have seen to our cost with our current government.”