Plans to force voters to show identification at polling stations have been criticised for excluding poorer communities, with thousands in the region without a passport.

County Durham is one of the highest percentage areas in the north of England where the residents do not hold the form of ID, and there are concerns more marginalised communities will face fresh challenges to vote.

From 4 May 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in local, parliamentary, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and referendums.

New Census data shows 107,031 residents (20.5 per cent of the population) in the county do not hold a passport, with several communities in the east returning the highest percentages.

In the Peterlee East ward, 31.5 per cent of residents do not have a passport – the third highest figure in the North East. In nearby Murton North and Parkside, 29.7 per cent do not have a passport, while more than a quarter of residents in Horden are also without.

The new rules have been criticised as damaging democracy and will prevent poorer communities from voting, Easington MP Grahame Morris said.

“Voter ID is part of a package of measures which disenfranchises voters and transfers power to more affluent areas,” he said.

“The choice to redraw electoral boundaries based on incomplete electoral registration data, rather than census population data, will distort representation with affluent areas overrepresented compared to poorer regions with lower voter registration.”

Anyone who does not have appropriate identification will be able to apply for a free document, but the Government’s webpage to apply for this is currently inactive, with access not launching until “later this month”.

There are no local elections in County Durham but thousands of Darlington residents will take to the polls this spring.  

Mr Morris MP added: “The introduction of voter ID seeks to exclude people from our democratic processes, impacting the poorest communities which do not have passports or driving licences.

“The Government are creating new barriers to exclude people in the hope of gaining a political advantage. Their actions are reprehensible and an affront to democracy. These practices of abusing election rules to gain a political advantage come straight from the US Republican Party voter suppression playbook, and we must restore democratic, free and fair elections in the UK at the earliest opportunity.”

Durham County Council says it has received funding from the Government to publicise the changes and will deliver leaflets to all households.

Read next:

And on Monday the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections, launched its campaign urging voters to prepare for the changes, with adverts on TV, radio, billboards and online.

Defending its decision to push ahead with voter ID, a Government spokesman said: “We cannot be complacent when it comes to ensuring our democracy remains secure.

“Everyone eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so and 98 per cent of electors already have an accepted form of identification.”