Tens of thousands of people face being turned away from polling stations because of new voter ID rules - including of younger voters.
A damning survey found one in five students - an estimated 120,000 people - are not aware of new rules requiring voters to show a valid form of identification. Hard-up young voters argue they are being disenfranchised as driving licences and passports can cost nearly £90.
Frustrated students have said the rules are 'restricting students ability to be able to vote' and 'government actually doesn't listen'. The polling by the National Union of Students show that 90% of students are registered to vote, but 20% did not know they needed ID or were unsure which ID was acceptable.
The Daily Mirror’s Get ID, Get a Vote campaign was launched last year to raise awareness of the new voting rules which came into force last year. Figures from the 2023 local elections in England showed 14,000 people were turned away from polling stations for not having ID.
Campaigners claim that if this was replicated at a general election, which has a greater turnout than local polls, as many as 400,000 people could be denied a vote. The NUS survey of 5,000 students also found that three-quarters think politicians do not cater to young people, represent them, or keep their promises.
The Daily Mirror were able to speak to some of the students about the upcoming elections and the restrictions when it comes to voting. Fatima Lopes, 19, a sabbatical officer who starts at Swansea University this September, said: "I was born here in Swansea and I've encountered some barriers applying for my provisional licence and British passport.
“I've done everything and I have my education ID but that's why I think it disadvantages us in some way, especially if your parents are immigrants and they don’t have all that sorted," she explained. The big thing that makes Voter ID inaccessible to the people in Higher Education is simplifying it. A lot of people don't know where to start, and don’t know where to go,” she said.
Sky Marriner, 21, president of the Edinburgh College Student Association said: "I've never voted because it’s not accessible to me. I’ve really struggled to vote, I'm not good with paperwork, my passport and my provisional are also out of date so I find it quite difficult.
To renew a passport the cost for those 16 and over in the UK is £88.50 which can take up to 10 weeks to arrive. To renew a provisional licence it is £34 through the DVLA website. "I didn't even know voting registration closed on Tuesday because that information wasn't even accessible to me. A lot of times passports and provincial licences are not accessible to working class people who maybe can’t afford it," she added.
“I don't have mum and dad to just fork out £30. The government are not representative of who I am as an individual, which is a queer, disabled woman, and someone who comes from a slightly more working-class family. "A lot of young people struggle with being heard and they give up which is understandable. We feel strongly but the government actually doesn't listen."
Jack Stokes, 20, also attended the conference and said: "I think the voter ID is restricting students' ability to be able to vote and restricting their accessibility to vote and young people tend to have a more left-wing ideology and the current government does not necessarily agree with that. Not all organisations accept the Citizenship card as a legal card which they should do. There were a lot of students who had a Citizenship card and were refused to vote because they didn't believe it was a valid voter ID."
Just like Fatima, he agreed that: "We need a wider sort of political education. We need to take practical steps. We do incentives just to get them used to voting, they can read manifestos and have that experience so we can vote."
Simon Phipp, 60, software development manager added: "A lot of apprentices are 16-20 years old, are on low wages so they can't always afford to drive, and don't have a driving licence. Some are from marginalised backgrounds and don’t all have passports. For apprentices, there were 740,000 in the UK and that's roughly nearly the number of students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined. What is so infuriating is that some apprentices have to pay for their tools. For example, an engineer who is on minimum wage has to work for 316 hours and then pay for their tools," added Simon.
Qasim Hussain, 19, is the president of the student union at Leeds City College. He said: “I think the current government understands how powerful we are as students but are taking the steps to prevent us from voting. Getting a driving licence costs money and that might not be on their priority list in comparison to older more Conservative voters, and polling stations can be a bit confusing. The voter ID makes me question their intentions, it doesn't seem very democratic at all," he added.
"When I turned 18 last year I registered but was past the deadline, I went to the polling station but was turned away. There's this huge talk of the UK transforming into a skills economy and I think the apprentices are leading the way with that. Their wage doesn't reflect their efforts and how much the government is committed to empowering them and developing them, we need to hold them accountable to that.."
Some of the popular forms of photo ID that are valid to use at a polling station include a UK passport, UK driving licence, identity card, freedom pass, oyster 60+ card, and a National identity card. Out of these forms of ID, 88 per cent of students possess a UK passport, and 74 per cent possess a UK driving licence.
Bernie Savage, NUS Vice President for Further Education, said: “There are at least four million students and apprentices in our universities and colleges who are eligible to vote. This means that as many as 120,000 students face being disenfranchised if they don’t get voter ID in time for the next General Election.
"The results of this survey send a clear message to politicians: students are ready to turn up at the next election, but they are desperate for politicians to offer them more. That nine in ten students are registered is really encouraging and suggests students will have a huge impact on the outcome of the next poll. Politicians and political parties should pay attention and listen to the concerns of students and young people, who represent all of our futures."
To apply or renew a passport can be done here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
To apply for provisional driving licence can be done here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence