The British government's plans to tackle electoral abuse in the North have been put before Westminster in a White Paper, writes Monika Unsworth.
The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, said that the government's guiding principle was to ensure confidence in the electoral process. "The key element of these proposals is the introduction of a voter ID card. This will not be a universal ID card, but will be a piece of photographic ID for those who want to use it at an election", he said.
The proposals are unlikely to become law until the next parliamentary session.