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In many parts of England people will be voting tomorrow in local council elections and for the first time they will need to show photo ID before they can cast their ballot. In 2014 a report by the Electoral Commission into voting fraud said while there was no widespread electoral fraud, the lack of a requirement for voters to show ID at polling stations was a weakness in the system. The government has said that “we cannot be complacent” when it comes to ensuring a secure democracy. Critics claim that some groups in society will be disproportionally affected by not having ID and the introduction has been rushed. There are also worries about how many people will be aware that they need ID to vote tomorrow. People who don’t have ID such as a passport or drivers’ licence could apply for specific photo ID to vote, however, according to the Open Democracy website, when the application scheme closed there had been a total of just under 86 thousand applications, which is 4.3% of the estimated 2 million people who don’t have a valid photo ID. In 1918 after the 'Representation of the People' Act was passed, all males over 21 were eligible to vote, as were women over 30 with the correct property qualifications. Before 1918, general elections did not occur on a single day and polling was spread over several weeks. All these reforms were designed to make elections fairer, more representative and to help them run more smoothly. We don’t know what impact the new rules will have but turnout for local elections has often been low. I hope the changes that take effect tomorrow will, rather than put people off voting, encourage those who are apprehensive, to see it as their right. The New Testament uses the terms “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” to describe how we should be on earth, as an indication that the flourishing of our world is, in part, our responsibility. Voting is one of the cornerstones of democracy, especially if we want a healthy society. Caring for and engaging in the political processes is part of good citizenship, but good citizenship doesn't end the moment we leave the polling booth. As Mother Teresa said “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”