Almost 600 people were left unable to vote in the General Election after being turned away for not having the right ID, new figures reveal.

Data obtained by The Northern Echo shows 584 people turned up at polling stations across the region on July 4 but were turned away under new voter identification rules.

It was the first time that voters have had to show photographic proof of who they are to vote in a General Election.

Not all types of ID were accepted at polling stations, but among the permitted forms were passports, driving licences or blue badges.

The numbers are lower than had been suggested by a national poll earlier this month, but an elections expert said it may have been a cause of low turnout.

Polling by More in Common suggested more than 850,000 voters were turned away nationally on July 4, with more than half of those not able to cast a ballot. Echo analysis suggests that would equate to more than 33,000 voters in the North East being turned away, with about 16,700 not being able to vote at all – considerably more than the 584 unable to cast a ballot.

However, Dr Jess Garland, Director of Policy and Research and the Electoral Reform Society, said even one person being turned away was too many. Meanwhile, Labour committed to reviewing the rules.

Dr Garland said: “As these figures show, far too many people are being denied their right to vote based on a lack of ID. But even one voter turned away unnecessarily because of voter ID is one too many.

“It is important that the voter ID scheme has a thorough and urgent review when the data is available and we have the full picture of its impact on the General Election.

“Research from previous elections has shown that this policy has had a chilling effect with many people not turning out in the first place.

“Given the 2024 election had the lowest turnout since 2001 and the new government has committed to improve voter participation, we urge them to review the voter ID scheme and ensure that everyone can access their vote in future.”

It’s possible that in seats with narrow majorities voters being turned away could have swung the result. Labour won the seat of Hendon in London by just 15 votes – in all but seven constituencies in the North East, more than 15 voters were left unable to cast a ballot due to the rules.

Photo ID restrictions were brought in by Boris Johnson’s government which said they were necessary to combat the risk of in-person voter fraud. They first came into force at the May 2023 local elections in England.

Mr Johnson was turned away from a polling station after forgetting to bring a photo ID in May’s local elections.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other senior Labour politicians including Equalities Minister Annelise Dodds previously said the party would review the policy if it came to power.

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On the campaign trail, Mr Starmer told Sky News: “I think we need to review and look at the ID rules. I am concerned about the impact. I won’t shy away from that.”

A Labour spokesperson told the Echo: “As set out in our manifesto, the Government intends to make amendments to the voter ID rules, to improve their effectiveness and to revisit and address, where necessary, any inconsistencies in the policy.

“Legitimate electors should not be prevented from voting, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone eligible to vote is able and encouraged to do so.

“We will be conducting a thorough evaluation of the voter ID rules and how they impacted citizens during the General Election, including reviewing the list of identification accepted in the polling station, before bringing forward firm proposals in due course.”