DOZENS of people were turned away at the local elections in Basingstoke and Deane because they did not have photographic ID, the Gazette can reveal.

The elections on May 4 were the first requiring people in England to show a form of ID to vote, such as a passport or diving licence.

The government said this was needed to reduce the risk of voter fraud.

However, opponents of the controversial new law said it is a form of voter suppression.

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Nationally, figures suggest that one per cent of voters were turned away from polling stations because of ID requirements.

In Basingstoke and Deane, a total of 192 people were turned away from polling stations across the borough because they had no photographic ID or because of invalid photographic ID.

This represents 0.7 per cent of the electors who applied for a ballot paper at a polling station.

At total of 43,924 people voted in Basingstoke and Deane elections, meaning overall turnout was 32 per cent. 

Of those turned away because of ID requirements, 62 people (0.2 per cent of electors who applied for a ballot paper at a polling station) did not return with ID to vote before the close of the poll.

However, this number is likely to be higher because it does not include people who left before requesting a ballot paper.

A total of 130 voters returned with valid photographic ID after initially being turned away.

The borough council said 99.8 per cent of electors voting in Basingstoke and Deane polling stations brought photo ID that met the newly introduced voter ID requirements.

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David Lawrence, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Basingstoke, described voter ID requirements as a "solution in search of a problem". 

He added: "[The] local elections underscored this: while there was no evidence of voter fraud, in Basingstoke 192 people turned up to vote without ID and of those, 62 didn’t return with ID to vote.

"At a time when trust in our political system is at a record low, our political leaders should be doing all they can to make it easier for people to vote - not harder.

"A particular injustice is making it harder for young people to vote: while bus passes were accepted as ID for older citizens, young people's bus passes were not accepted. We must encourage young people to engage with politics, and this cynical policy will do the opposite."

The Electoral Commission is due to publish a report on voter ID this year, after gathering data from local councils.

A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: "These were the first set of polls to take place since the voter ID requirement came into force. Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run."

They added: "Confidence in the overall picture, however, should not overlook other impacts which can only be revealed through detailed data collection and analysis over the coming weeks.

"We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

"It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections.

“The commission has already started this work. We are collecting data from polling stations about the numbers turned away and returning, and carrying out national public opinion research to collect data about voters’ experiences.

"Given the fundamental role played by electoral administrators, it will also be vital that we hear from them about their experiences of the day, as well as other participants in the elections, including candidates.”