An Act to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, including provision designed to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process; about overseas electors; about voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens; about the designation of a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission; about the membership of the Speaker's Committee; about the Electoral Commission's functions in relation to criminal proceedings; about financial information to be provided by a political party on applying for registration; for preventing a person being registered as a political party and being a recognised non-party campaigner at the same time; about regulation of expenditure for political purposes; about disqualification of offenders for holding elective offices; about information to be included in electronic campaigning material; and for connected purposes.
Citation
2022 c. 37
Introduced by
Kemi Badenoch, Minister of State for Levelling Up Communities (Commons) Lord True, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Lords)
Territorial extent
United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent
28 April 2022
Status: Current legislation
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Constitutional documents and events relevant to the status of the United Kingdom and its countries
List per year
Treaty of Union
1706
Acts of Union
1707
Succession to the Crown Act 1707
1707
Septennial Act
1716
Wales and Berwick Act
1746
Constitution of Ireland (1782)
1782
Acts of Union 1800
1800
HC (Disqualifications) Act 1801
1801
Reform Act 1832
1832
Scottish Reform Act 1832
1832
Irish Reform Act 1832
1832
Judicial Committee Act 1833
1833
Judicial Committee Act 1843
1843
Judicial Committee Act 1844
1844
Representation of the People Act 1867
1867
Reform Act (Scotland) 1868
1868
Reform Act (Ireland) 1868
1868
Irish Church Act
1869
Royal Titles Act 1876
1876
Appellate Jurisdiction Act
1876
Reform Act 1884
1884
Interpretation Act 1889
1889
Parliament Act
1911
Aliens Restriction Act
1914
Status of Aliens Act 1914
1914
Government of Ireland Act 1914
1914
Welsh Church Act
1914
Royal Proclamation of 1917
1917
Representation of the People Act 1918
1918
Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act
1919
Government of Ireland Act
1920
Anglo-Irish Treaty
1921
Church of Scotland Act 1921
1921
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act
1922
Irish Free State Constitution Act
1922
Ireland (Confirm. of Agreement) Act 1925
1925
Balfour Declaration of 1926
1926
Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act
1927
Representation of the People Act 1928
1928
Eire (Confirmation of Agreement) Act 1929
1929
Statute of Westminster
1931
HM Declaration of Abdication Act 1936
1936
Regency Act 1937
1937
Regency Act 1943
1943
British Nationality Act 1948
1948
Representation of the People Act 1948
1948
Ireland Act 1949
1949
Statute of the Council of Europe
1949
Parliament Act 1949
1949
Regency Act 1953
1953
Royal Titles Act 1953
1953
European Convention on Human Rights
1953
Interpretation Act (NI)
1954
HC Disqualification Act 1957
1957
Life Peerages Act
1958
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962
1962
Peerage Act
1963
Royal Assent Act
1967
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968
1968
Immigration Act
1971
EC Treaty of Accession
1972
NI (Temporary Provisions) Act
1972
European Communities Act
1972
Local Government Act
1972
UK joins the European Communities
1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act
1973
NI border poll
1973
NI Constitution Act
1973
House of Commons Disqualification Act
1975
Referendum Act
1975
EC membership referendum
1975
Interpretation Act
1978
Scotland Act 1978
1978
Wales Act 1978
1978
Scottish devolution referendum
1979
Welsh devolution referendum
1979
British Nationality Act
1981
Representation of the People Act 1983
1983
Representation of the People Act 1985
1985
Single European Act
1985
Maastricht Treaty
1993
Local Government (Wales) Act
1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act
1994
Referendums (Scotland & Wales) Act
1997
Scottish devolution referendum
1997
Welsh devolution referendum
1997
Good Friday Agreement
1998
Northern Ireland Act
1998
Government of Wales Act
1998
Human Rights Act
1998
Scotland Act
1998
House of Lords Act
1999
Representation of the People Act 2000
2000
Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
2000
Constitutional Reform Act
2005
Government of Wales Act 2006
2006
Northern Ireland Act 2009
2009
Lisbon Treaty
2009
Constitutional Reform and Governance Act
2010
Parl. Voting System and Constituencies Act
2011
Welsh devolution referendum
2011
Alternative Vote referendum
2011
European Union Act 2011
2011
Fixed-term Parliaments Act
2011
Scotland Act 2012
2012
Succession to the Crown Act 2013
2013
Scottish independence referendum
2014
House of Lords Reform Act
2014
Wales Act 2014
2014
HL (Expulsion and Suspension) Act
2015
Recall of MPs Act
2015
European Union Referendum Act
2015
EU membership referendum
2016
Scotland Act 2016
2016
Wales Act 2017
2017
EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act
2017
Invocation of Article 50
2017
European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018
EU Withdrawal Act 2019
2019
EU Withdrawal (No. 2) Act
2019
Early Parliamentary General Election Act
2019
EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act
2020
UK leaves the European Union
2020
UK Internal Market Act
2020
EU (Future Relationship) Act
2020
Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act
2022
Elections Act
2022
v
t
e
The Elections Act 2022 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced to the House of Commons in July 2021, and receiving Royal Assent on 28 April 2022.[1] The Act makes photo identification compulsory for in-person voting in Great Britain for the first time.[2][3] Until then, Northern Ireland had been the only part of the UK to require voter identification. The Act also gives the government new powers over the independent elections regulator;[4] the Electoral Commission has said it is "concerned" about its independence from political influence in the future.[5][6][7]
According to academic research presented to the House of Commons, these changes may result in 1.1 million fewer voters at the next general election due to the photo ID requirement.[8] Key elements of the Act were opposed by parliamentary committees, the House of Lords, the Electoral Commission, devolved governments, and academics.[6] Changes proposed by the House of Lords were rejected by the House of Commons, dominated by Conservative MPs under the whip of Boris Johnson's government.[6][9]
The bill is highly contentious. Some opponents said it would hinder certain groups of people from voting, because they were less likely to have photo IDs. The Liberal Democrat peer Lord Wallace described it as a "nefarious piece of legislation" that is "shabby and illiberal".[10][11] Toby James, a professor of politics and public policy, has said "the inclusiveness of elections has been undermined by the act and it weakens the UK's claim to be a beacon of democracy".[6] The Labour Party said the Conservatives are "trying to rig the rules of the game to help themselves".[12] A free voter ID card was introduced for those who did not have other forms of identification.
The bill also changed mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections from a supplementary vote (SV) system to a first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, which critics say are an attempt by the ruling Conservative Party to make it easier to win future contests without getting a majority of the total votes, most particularly in London (as a plurality would suffice for a victory).[13]
^"Elections Bill". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 5 July 2021. p. 1. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
^Allegretti, Aubrey (5 July 2021). "Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
^Webster, Julia (5 July 2021). "New Elections Bill to 'protect democracy', says government". BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
^Lothian-McLean, Moya (10 January 2022). "Opinion: Boris Johnson Is Revealing Who He Really Is". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
^"The controversial new laws rushed through by the government this week". The Big Issue. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ abcdJames, Toby. "Democracy undermined: elections in the UK are changing – here's how". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^"Electoral Commission 'concerned' after Tories vote to put it under government control". The Independent. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^"The Elections Bill, Report".
^"Elections Act 2022: Consideration of Lords amendments".
^Saltaire, Wallace (25 February 2022). "Elections Bill is a nefarious piece of legislation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^Rocha Menocal, Alina (18 April 2022). "Why the UK Elections Bill undermines democracy". openDemocracy. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
^"'A full-fronted attack on our democracy': New voter ID laws make it harder for young people to vote". The Big Issue. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^Waterson, Jim (9 May 2021). "Government to change English voting system after Labour mayoral victories". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
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