AS a voter, I know that the way I can hold those in power to account is by casting my vote in elections.
That’s why free and fair elections are so important. I find it remarkable then that the current Government is driving through new laws that will make our elections less free and less fair.
The Elections Bill will let the Government itself set the priorities for the independent elections watchdog that polices our elections. It’s the equivalent of one manager in a football match getting to instruct the referee on what to focus on.
It doesn’t stop there.
It introduces a devastatingly expensive (up to £180 million over 10 years) and wholly unnecessary requirement for voters to produce photo identity documents at polling stations. It is estimated that this will lead to at least a million eligible voters being turned away from polling stations at the next election.
This comes just weeks after dozens of Conservative MPs were telling us "We do not want a society where we ask for papers and deprive people of their liberty".
The Elections Bill threatens our liberty and democracy.
I urge local people to write to our MP to ask them to oppose it.
Alan Milne, Meols
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