After the close of polls on Thursday 2 May, an Electoral Commission spokesperson said:
“Our initial assessment of the elections is that they were well-run, and millions of voters were able to exercise their democratic rights. This is a testament to the efforts of electoral administrators, who work tirelessly to ensure the smooth delivery and integrity of polls.
“A number of new measures from the Elections Act were in force at these elections, including voter ID for the first time in Wales and parts of England. The electoral community has been working hard to prepare voters for these changes. Most voters who wanted to vote were able to do so.
“We will now begin to collect evidence from voters, electoral administrators, partner organisations, and campaigners to understand their experiences of the elections and identify any potential obstacles to participation.”
Background
The Commission expects to publish an initial analysis of the implementation of voter ID at these elections in early July, subject to data being available.
The requirement to show photo ID at polling stations was introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act and the detail set out in secondary legislation which was passed in December 2022.
The Commission provided guidance and support to electoral administrators to support them with preparing for and delivering the polls. This included our polling station handbook, which contains guidance on the processes for checking voter ID.