Lancashire woman, 87, turned away from local elections for having no ID

An 87-year-old woman from Lancashire has been turned away from a polling station because she did not have ID.
The pensioner, who said she has voted in every election since she was 18, took a taxi to her local polling station in Pendle, only to be told that she could not vote.The pensioner, who said she has voted in every election since she was 18, took a taxi to her local polling station in Pendle, only to be told that she could not vote.
The pensioner, who said she has voted in every election since she was 18, took a taxi to her local polling station in Pendle, only to be told that she could not vote.

The pensioner, who said she has voted in every election since she turned 18, paid for a taxi to take her to her local polling station in Pendle on Thursday (May 2).

But the woman was told she could not vote after she failed to present photo ID.

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Pendle Council is one of ten local authorities in the UK piloting a new anti-fraud scheme which requires photo ID from voters before they can cast their ballot.

The woman, who asked not to be identified by name, told the Mirror: “I am nearly 90. And the officers that were on, they know me, but they weren’t allowed to let me vote. How stupid is that?”

It is the first time the pensioner has not been able to cast her vote in nearly 70 years.

She said: “I can’t fly so I’ve no passport now. I can’t drive so I’ve no driving licence now.

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“If I’d been in Craven they would have accepted my bankers’ card but because I’m in Pendle they don’t accept it.

“I just think it’s not right. We’ve lived all our lives in England and are having to take a photograph to confirm who we are.”

The 87-year-old woman's case has been reported to the local Labour Party.

A Pendle Borough Council official has been approached for comment.