More than 120 people in East Lancashire did not return to vote after being turned away at the polling station for not having valid ID at the recent general election, figures show.

Since May 2023, voters have needed to show photo ID to vote in UK parliamentary elections, and for local elections and referendums in England.

The move proved controversial, with some groups saying it may make voting harder for younger people, those in poverty and ethnic minorities, who are less likely to have a valid form of photo ID.

New figures from the Electoral Commission show 204 voters were initially turned away from polling stations in Blackburn due to ID rules in the general election this July.

While 142 of these returned to vote, 62 did not.

Independent Adnan Hussain beat Labour veteran Kate Hollern by 132 votes, therefore even if those turned away had returned it would not have affected the result.

In Burnley, 132 voters were initially turned away, with 106 returning and 28 not, while in Rossendale and Darwen 118 were turned away with 80 returning and 38 not.

Similarly, results in those seats would have been unaffected after Labour defeated the Tories in both seats with majorities in the thousands.

The Electoral Commission cautions the true number may be higher than this, as some voters may have been told about the ID requirement by staff before they asked for a ballot, and therefore would not have been recorded as being turned away.

In total, 27,192 people voted at 46 polling stations in Blackburn, 28,158 at 30 Burnley polling stations, and 31,879 at 52 polling stations in Rossendale and Darwen.

Turnout was just 53 per cent in Blackburn and Burnley, and only slightly higher in Rossendale and Darwen at 59 per cent.

Across Great Britain, 50,000 people were initially turned away due to not having valid ID, with 16,000 people not returning to vote.

However, some polling stations did not submit data on the number of people unable to vote, so the true figure may be higher.

While this was a small proportion of the nearly 20 million people who voted at polling stations, the Electoral Commission warned some may have been put off voting by the new rules.

Electoral Commission chief executive, Vijay Rangarajan, said: "This was the first time all voters across the UK were required to show photographic ID at a general election, and the data shows almost everyone was able to do so successfully.

"However, our research shows that the need for ID discouraged some people from voting – and we don’t want to see any voters lose their say."

Polling for the organisation suggests 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds are aware of the rules, compared to 91 per cent for those aged 45 and over.

In addition, 76 per cent of people from ethnic minority communities were aware of the rules compared to 90 per cent of white people.

Mr Rangarajan added: "Public awareness of the need for voter ID is high across the UK, but there are still groups of voters that are less likely to be aware of the need to show ID or that do not have an accepted form.

"Everyone eligible should have the opportunity to vote, which is why we are recommending changes that will support those who do not currently have ID and improve the accessibility of elections, while maintaining the security of the process."

The Electoral Commission has called for the Government to review whether a larger number of ID documents could be valid for use in elections – such as the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card and the 18+ Student Oyster photocard, in addition to the Veteran Card.

Rules around which forms of ID are permitted have caused controversy, with elderly people's bus passes being valid forms of ID, but young people's bus passes are not.