IS IT ok that voters across the country might be forced to show ID when they go to vote?

That is the proposal from the Government this week.

Starting at the 2018 local elections, voters in trial areas across England will be required to show proof of identification before casting their ballot.

The hope is that it will help eliminate electoral fraud.

The decision on whether to roll out the measure for the whole country will be taken after the trials.

Meanwhile, election officials and police will be given new powers to tackle intimidation of voters by activists. And political activists will be banned from collecting postal votes for submission, a practice known as 'harvesting'.

The reforms were among recommendations contained in a report in August by former cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles, which was commissioned amid growing concerns about electoral fraud, including the mayoral ballot in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, which was overturned in 2015 over a number of corrupt and illegal practices.

Constitution minister Chris Skidmore said: "The Government's view is that electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level. I want to protect the right of everyone to have their say and participate in our democracy.

"That is why the new measures we are announcing today will protect anyone who is at risk of being bullied, undermined or tricked out of their vote - and their democratic right.

"By eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices, we are ensuring the integrity of our electoral system while building a clear and secure democracy that works for everyone."

Under the new rules, electors in the chosen pilot areas will be required to bring ID to prove who they are before voting, as already happens in Northern Ireland.

Different council areas will trial different types of photo ID including driving licences, passports or utility bills to prove addresses. The Government has ruled out the creation of a new form of photo ID for voting.

If successful, the measure - long supported by the independent Electoral Commission - could be introduced for general elections and other polls.

The Government will also consider measures for nationality checking that will prevent fraudulent voter registrations.

And reforms to improve the security of the postal ballot system will include requiring postal voters to re-apply every three years; demanding legal proof for requests for a waiver from giving a signature for a postal vote; and extending offences protecting the secrecy of the ballot to cover postal votes.

ends Page 2: 08:30 Labour former London mayor Ken Livingstone said the move was an overreaction to a small number of electoral fraud cases.

He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "I can think, in my lifetime, in politics there has been about a dozen cases where a local council candidate has been taken to court by the police for fiddling a few postal votes and things like that. Now, that's wrong, and the police do get them.

"Just think the uproar there would be if we said, 'There's an awful lot of shoplifting going on, we are going to search every customer as they leave'. It is really bad to make life more difficult for the vast majority of people just when you are dealing with a handful of dodgy council candidates.

"The simple fact is, if there was widespread fraud, we'd all be supporting this, but it is a very, very small number of instances. And the real problem is, the people most likely not to have a a passport, or a driving licence, are going to be the poorest, and that, I suspect - once again, like the decision last year to knock a lot of people off the electoral register - will basically hit the Labour Party."

Mr Livingstone said the Electoral Commission had been influenced by the Government.

He said: "I doubt they have been pushed in the sense that they have been dragged into Downing Street and ordered to do it, but there'll be pressure and influence as, I have to say, there is over the BBC."

Mr Livingstone said he was banned from the BBC in the 1990s due to similar government influence.

"Let's not forget, 25 years ago the BBC got an instruction from the government that I wasn't to be interviewed. For 18 months I wasn't invited on at all. The BBC always denied it. So, there is an awful lot of unofficial government pressures behind the scenes."

Mr Livingstone suggested that introducing proportional representation in voting would make the electoral system more credible.

ends Page 3: 09:30 Mr Skidmore said poor people would not be disenfranchised.

He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "When it comes to the pilots, we have been very carefully calibrating those, so that there will be two models. One will be based on a driver's licence, passport, photographic ID. The other will be based on utility bills, and even also proof of electoral registration.

"So, when it comes to the level of documentation, it will ensure that everyone gets the chance to vote."

Electoral Reform Society chief executive Katie Ghose said: "While we should take all instances of voter fraud very seriously where they occur, mandatory voter ID is a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The Government should think very carefully before introducing barriers to voting.

"There is simply no evidence to suggest that electoral fraud is widespread across the UK. Where it has occurred it has been isolated and should be tackled locally.

"Raising barriers to democratic participation could just put people off voting - and evidence from the US shows that it's generally those already most excluded from the political process that are worst affected by strict ID laws.

"The Government should think again and look at all the evidence on voter ID before deciding to use this blunt instrument."

Electoral Commission chief executive Claire Bassett said: "We welcome today's full and considered response from the Government and the announcement of its intention to pilot measures to increase security at polling stations.

"Having undertaken detailed work, the commission's view is that the use of photographic ID is the most effective proof against personation. However, we look forward to working with the Government and other partners to further explore the options in order to ensure voter confidence in the system."