Tory MP forced to seek help with vote after losing photo ID required to cast ballot under rules brought in by Conservative government
A Tory MP has been forced to seek an emergency proxy vote for the local elections after misplacing photo ID required to cast his ballot under rules the Conservative government introduced.
Ipswich's Tom Hunt confirmed he had been forced to act and blamed his dyspraxia, a condition that affects sufferers' organisational skills.
Mr Hunt, 35, warned people 'persecuting' him online to be 'very careful with their words', saying it is 'well known that sadly we are slightly more prone to lose things'.
Voters are required to present certain forms of ID to vote in todays local, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner polls under the Elections Act 2022.
Acceptable forms of ID listed in the Act include a passport, driving licence, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (Pass) cards, Blue Badges, and some concessionary travel cards.
![Ipswich's Tom Hunt confirmed he had been forced to act and blamed his dyspraxia, a condition that affects sufferers' organisational skills.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/02/15/84371705-0-image-a-51_1714661731375.jpg)
Ipswich's Tom Hunt confirmed he had been forced to act and blamed his dyspraxia, a condition that affects sufferers' organisational skills.
![Voters are required to present certain forms of ID to vote in todays local, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner polls under the Elections Act 2022.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/02/15/84371929-0-image-a-52_1714661921307.jpg)
Voters are required to present certain forms of ID to vote in todays local, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner polls under the Elections Act 2022.
Mr Hunt has previously spoken about his condition, saying it left him unable to tie shoelaces until he was 14, or a tie until he went to university.
Speaking today he said: 'I don't want to blame everything on my dyspraxia, but it's a factor in my life I have to deal with.
'It's all well and good people saying we need to have more neurodiverse Members of Parliament, but having a massive pile-on on them, I don't think it's going to encourage more people.'
People whose ID has been lost, stolen or damaged can apply for an emergency proxy vote until 5pm on polling day, allowing someone else to vote on their behalf.
Mr Hunt said he had not previously been aware of this provision, but had applied for an emergency proxy vote, saying it is 'the system working well'.
One form of ID that is not accepted at polling stations is the veterans ID card, introduced at the start of this year.
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer issued an apology via social media site X, formerly Twitter, after former soldier Adam Diver was unable to use his veterans card at a polling station.
'I am sorry about this,' Mr Mercer wrote in response after Mr Diver was turned away from his polling station.
He added: 'The legislation on acceptable forms of ID came out before the veterans ID cards started coming out in January this year. I will do all I can to change it before the next one.'
Army veteran Mr Diver, 48, had been looking to place his vote in Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was turned away after presenting his veterans card, saying the experience left him feeling 'gutted'.
![Army veteran Mr Diver, 48, had been looking to place his vote in Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was turned away after presenting his veterans card, saying the experience left him feeling 'gutted'.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/03/01/84376203-13376155-Army_veteran_Mr_Diver_48_had_been_looking_to_place_his_vote_in_F-a-1_1714696035473.jpg)
Army veteran Mr Diver, 48, had been looking to place his vote in Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was turned away after presenting his veterans card, saying the experience left him feeling 'gutted'.
'I felt clearly deflated, I felt gutted to be fair and upset - I felt angry at the point,' Mr Diver, who served in the army for 27 years, told the PA news agency.
'I felt like my time served was invalidated and I just thought to myself, 'what was the point in that?'
'I've served in pretty much every war going, I've spent 27 years away from my family.
'I thought you could use it as an ID card. It's like a driving licence, you can't get any more official and it didn't strike me one bit that it wouldn't be validated.'
Both Mr Hunt and Mr Mercer voted for the voter ID scheme when it was before the Commons.
According to Parliament's voting records, they also voted to reject a Lords amendment aimed at widening the forms of acceptable identification to include workplace ID, library cards, bank statements and an array of other documents.
Downing Street has said it will 'look into' including veterans' ID cards on the list of valid voter ID.
The Government is currently consulting on whether to include it in the list.
An investigation by the Electoral Commission suggested around 14,000 people - 0.25% of voters - did not vote in last year's local elections after being unable to show an accepted form of photo ID at their polling station.
A similar study will be carried out this year, the Commission has confirmed.