THE treatment of military veterans in the UK is “ridiculous” and those from Powys that have served are at risk of being disenfranchised from this week’s general election.
That is the opinion of one former Royal Navy officer, who says new veterans ID cards aren’t “worth the plastic they are printed on”, after it was revealed ex-Armed Forces personnel won’t be able to use the cards as proof of ID when going to the polls this Thursday.
This is despite promises from both Downing Street and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Jonny Mercer, that veterans would be able to use their cards at polling stations when they were first issued in January this year.
“I’m shocked to hear that the official veterans identity card is not on the official voters identification list for this year’s election,” said Steven Simister, who lives in Llandrindod Wells.
Initially posting on the Rhayader Solutions Facebook page this week, Mr Simister said: “You can use certain rail travel cards, but not the official veterans ID.
“Johnny Mercer, the Minister for Veterans affairs, said ‘sorry’, as the ID list was rolled out before the veterans card came into use in January 2024.
“I find this response to be ridiculous, as the card has been promised and in the works for many years. It now appears to not be worth the plastic it is printed on.
“So, a warning to those veterans who were hoping to use their Veterans ID to vote, find an alternative form of ID.”
Steven, 51, joined the Royal Navy in 1991 and served almost 10 years. He fears that veterans not being able to use the ID card will lead to problems, especially among the older generation, in voting on July 4.
“The older generation are becoming more disenfranchised,” said Steven.
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“We have a member of the Royal British Legion in Llandrindod who is coming towards the end of his driving career, so he will be giving up his licence soon.
“What other forms of ID is he likely to have? He’s a proud veteran, it is something he would like to use. He is not likely to have a passport or a rail card.”
He added: “With the official ID card, veterans are led to believe it’ll be just as valid as a driving licence or any other form of ID.
“We fight for years to get one, then all of a sudden it’s not as official as we’re made to believe.”
The UK Government introduced a new requirement as part of the Elections Act 2022 that voters need to show an accepted form of photo ID to vote.
Laws around voter ID changed in May 2023, but Steven believes possessing a veterans ID card brings few benefits with it.
“There’s not a lot of benefits to having one,” said Steven.
“It’s supposed to show pride in your service, but now it’s been negated and lost.
“We fought in war zones around the world and we want to use it. I think it being used in elections would show others who don’t have it yet the worth of it.
“But veterans in the UK aren’t treated as well as elsewhere, for example the US.
“I was in a bar over there once where a serving forces member walked in and people were shaking his hand and thanking him for his service.
“It would be nice for this to change in the UK and I think the ID card is just a small snippet of that.”
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission, Wales, said: “The list of accepted forms of voter ID is decided by the UK Government.
“The Commission has recommended reviewing the current list to identify if additional documents could be included to improve accessibility for voters.
“As part of our post-poll reporting on the general election we will collect evidence from voters, electoral administrators, partner organisations and campaigners to understand their experiences of the elections and identify any potential obstacles to participation.”
A recent article published on the Help for Heroes website provides advice for veterans, informing them they should be aware their cards are not accepted as a valid form of voter ID.
Accepted forms of ID include passports, driving licences, blue badge parking permits and various local travel cards, for example a bus pass.
For more information, visit https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id.
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