Perth and Kinross Council have come under fire after mistakenly misleading voters by suggesting they’d need to bring ID and proof of address to the polling station with them on Thursday.
The local authority advised residents on Facebook and Twitter that they should bring the documents if they don’t have a polling card.
Polling Places will be open between 7am and 10pm tomorrow.
You can still vote if you do not have your polling card, just bring along ID and proof of address.
If you have not returned your postal vote you can hand it in at your local polling place.
— Perth & Kinross Council (@PerthandKinross) December 11, 2019
Posts on both social media platforms last night read: “Polling places will be open between 7am and 10pm tomorrow.
“You can still vote if you do not have your polling card, just bring along ID and proof of address.
“If you have not returned your postal vote you can hand it in at your local polling place.”
Residents struck back, pointing out that voters don’t need to take any ID with them to the polls.
Information on the UK Government website confirmed that voters living in England, Wales or Scotland do not need to bring any identification to vote.
One resident replied: “[I] think this definitely needs addressed!
“You don’t need ID to vote so why are you asking for it? Many people don’t have ID.”
A follow-up comment from the local authority’s account added: “To clarify, you do not need ID to vote, but if you have lost your polling card then bringing proof of your address may help the polling staff to find your details more quickly.”
