Councils will be required to provide free voter cards for people without the correct identification under the Government’s voter ID plans.
The Cabinet Office said local authorities will also be legally required to provide free anonymous elector cards for people wanting to vote anonymously.
The Government will cover the costs of councils providing both cards, with implementation costs set out in due course.
FAQs published by the Cabinet Office also confirm that expired documents will also be accepted, as long as the photograph is of a good enough likeness of the person voting.
The FAQs state: ‘We have published research that shows that 98% of electors already own a photographic document that is on the broad list of acceptable types of identification, and the 2% that currently do not, would not equate to two million.
’Local authorities will be required, by law, to provide anyone without one of the wide range of accepted documents with a free, local Voter Card.’
