(a)

the Elections Act 2022 received Royal Assent in April 2022; the Act imposed new duties on Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers who were responsible for organising and overseeing elections and maintaining the electoral register respectively. The new duties would be implemented gradually over the next few years by the Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities;

(b)

one of the key provisions of the Act was the introduction of voter identification requirements in 2023; the city council elections in May 2023 would be the first elections to see the new legislation implemented. Voters would be required to provide specific photographic proof of their identity and present their poll card in order to cast their ballot. In addition to voter ID the Act included provisions which would be introduced later in 2023 to improve electoral fraud detection and investigation as well as increased penalties for election offences and measures to modernise the electoral registration process;

(c)

the Act allowed for the creation of new electoral offences including intimidating electoral officials and making false claims about candidates during an election and included revisions to improve accessibility for disabled voters such as requiring polling stations to have at least one wheelchair accessible voting booth;

(d)

the Council’s that were undertaking local elections in May 2023 would be the first application of the photo ID requirements within the Act and having local elections instead of a general election to bed down the procedures was welcomed. There would be a national independent review of the impact of the vote ID on the May elections which would be published.

(e)

the Cabinet Office were drafting guidance for transgender communities with regards to photo identification required for voting purposes; it was highlighted that if people were concerned that their photo ID didn’t look like them then they should apply for a postal vote or apply for a VAC (Voter Authority Certificate) from 23 January 2023;

(f)

the Elections Act required a refusal form to be completed at polling stations as well as reasons for refusal; it was highlighted that the data collected at the end of the first election in May 2023 would identify if changes were to be considered a success;

(g)

local authorities were required to appoint a Registration Officer and Electoral Returning Officer who delegated various functions of the elections process to various staff members including the Poll Clerk and Presiding Officer; it was highlighted that the decision as to if voter ID was to be accepted would be considered by the Poll Clerk and Presiding Officer however the Head of Electoral Services, the Assistant Chief Executive, and Elections Inspections would also be available for support if queries were raised;

(h)

the Council would have roving polling station inspectors that would be readily available to attend polling stations however polling clerks and presiding officers would be trained in order to allow them to undertake their roles effectively;

(i)

the types of identification that would be accepted on polling day were set out in the appendix to the published report and a communication campaign was to take place highlighting requirements to Plymouth residents; Councillors and agents would also be involved in helping to ensure that processes and risks were properly tested;

(j)

the Elections Act report included on the agenda was previously included on the panel’s work programme because of the potential impact of the changes on the elections process and upcoming election; this item was not referred to scrutiny by full council;

(k)

in terms of the Council leading by example on the subject of photo identification, it was acknowledged that some of the photos of Councillors used on the Council’s website were out of date and not an accurate representation of what they currently looked like; photos contained on the website should be a true likeness;

(l)

on 8 January 2023 the Council were taking part in a national campaign highlighting mass awareness of the change to the elections requirements; it was highlighted that the Council had approximately 120k email address and mobile numbers of local residents and had GDPR approval to do a mass email and text advising of changes to encourage those eligible to be able to vote;

(m)

the Council was committed to adequately resourcing the elections work; during a recent canvas several people were employed to specifically work during the evenings calling local residents with the aim to include them on the electoral register; several thousand people were added through this approach;

(n)

the Electoral Commissioned confirmed that a picture of accepted European forms of identification would be available for polling staff to refer to if required;

(o)

the Council had engaged with care leavers to ensure that they were supported in the new process for voting at future elections and were also liaising with care leavers to highlight opportunities in working with the Council as part of the elections process;

(p)

examples of how voter registration could be maximised, including harder to reach people such as homeless units, was welcomed;

(q)

Members would be provided with a written response as to the expenditure to date for the current financial year for the elections department, expected reimbursement figures from Government, the overall cost of the elections work and what was included in the risk register with regards to the elections;

(r)

a record of people turned away would be kept, as well as those that were to come back and properly vote.

1.

to recommend to Cabinet that the Trans Community, EU citizens,  homeless people, the disabled and looked after young people are specifically considered in terms of identifying ways of enabling them to vote and how this is communicated to them, that action plans are developed for these five areas of potential voter vulnerability, and that an update on this issue is provided to a future Performance, Finance and Customer Focus Overview and Scrutiny Panel;

2.

that a review of the May 2023 elections process is provided to the Performance, Finance and Customer Focus Overview and Scrutiny Panel in the Autumn detailing true costs of the elections, funding received from the Government, financial implication upon the Council as to the new requirements introduced and next steps;

3.

to request that updated photographs for Councillors and Officers are undertaken to ensure that they are appropriate (a true likeness);

4.

that the 2022 Elections Act – Voter ID report is noted.