The UK government has announced plans to amend voter identification regulations to include the new Veteran Card as an approved form of identification. This decision was made after some former service personnel, including a 27-year army veteran named Adam Diver, were unable to vote in recent elections because their Veteran Cards were not recognized. The move followed public criticism and an apology from the Veterans Minister, Johnny Mercer, who committed to rectifying the oversight before the next election.

The introduction of compulsory photo ID for voting, implemented since May 2023, has faced backlash amid concerns it might disenfranchise certain groups, including veterans and neurodiverse individuals such as Conservative MP Tom Hunt, who disclosed difficulties in managing photo ID due to his dyspraxia.

The Labour Party has criticized the government for the delay in accepting the Veteran Card as voter ID and called for a comprehensive review of the voter ID policy to prevent further disenfranchisement. According to government reports, a small fraction of voters were turned away at polls for not having appropriate ID under the new rules. Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission indicated that around 14,000 individuals could not vote in a recent local election due to the ID requirements, highlighting a significant impact on voter turnout especially among lower-income groups and specific demographics.

The government is consulting on formalizing the inclusion of the Veteran Card in the list of acceptable IDs, alongside passports and driving licenses, to ensure all eligible voters can participate in elections without barriers.