Electoral ID card plan unveiled

Photographic identity cards are to be introduced in Northern Ireland in an attempt to combat electoral fraud.

The Northern Ireland Office hopes the card will be introduced in time for next year's assembly elections.

The initiative, which will form part of the Electoral Fraud Act 2002, was unveiled by NIO minister Des Browne.

He said the government was determined to prevent electoral abuse and to improve confidence in the electoral system.

"We will continue to work with the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland and the Electoral Commission to put in place effective measures at registration, in the absent vote process and at the polling station," he said.

Des Browne: Unveiled proposals

The Electoral Fraud Act 2002 makes changes to the registration process by requiring people to sign their canvass or application form and provide their date of birth and national insurance number.

Mr Browne said the additional personal information would not appear on the public version of the register.

He said it would be used at the Electoral Office to make checks against the names of electors when they apply for an absent vote and to track multiple voters.

Click here to learn about other nations' ID schemes

"Absent voting practices arguably provide a greater opportunity for vote stealing, because there is a less stringent requirement to prove one's identity when applying for an absent vote than there is at the ballot box," he said.

"The act combats this problem by requiring absent vote applications to be signed and to state an applicant's date of birth and national insurance number."

Documents

Mr Browne said the provisions of the new act would tackle fraud at the polling station by making it obligatory to show photographic identity.

"I also hope to be able to remove of all forms of non-photographic ID from the list of specified documents making the electoral ID card, the passport, the driving licence and the Senior Smartpass the only ID acceptable at the polling station."

The development came as the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, prepared to publish plans for a type of identity card in the UK.

The "entitlement" cards would be used to clamp down on fraud by checking rights to receive NHS treatment, education and state benefits.

Mr Blunkett, who faced a barrage of opposition after suggesting ID cards in the wake of 11 September, was expected to announce a six month consultation process on the proposals.

That would allow the government to test the appetite for the new cards and try to come up with a way to meet critics' concerns.