Earlier this week, multiple American conservatives celebrated that Queen Elizabeth II had apparently proclaimed her endorsement of “voter ID.”
The monarch, in her first public appearance since the funeral of her late husband, Prince Philip, announced that an Electoral Integrity Bill would require that voters present identification at polling stations. The bill would also remove a 15-year limit on the voting rights of British citizens living overseas.
“At the moment, people only have to walk into a polling station and give their name and address to vote,” explained Sky News.
Some in the United States rushed to believe that it was Queen Elizabeth herself who was endorsing the supposedly controversial policy.
However, the “Queen’s Speech” is actually prepared by the British government. While the queen reads the speech, it is far from her own political agenda, given that the monarchy is strictly apolitical and non-partisan.
Leftists were quick to condemn conservative figures in the United States who used Britain’s move to require voter identification as a counter-argument to the Democratic Party’s claims that the policy is inherently racist and geared to suppress certain voters. Outlets such as The Washington Post ignore the valid argument that voter identification is a common policy elsewhere, preferring to misrepresent every accusation of hypocrisy and context by implying that American conservatives — and their positions on voter identification — are based on a false understanding of British government.
“Something interesting has happened in U.S. politics over the last few months: The British royal family suddenly became a decidedly partisan issue — and with Republicans more in favor,” wrote Aaron Blake of The Washington Post. “After Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, recorded an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they implied racism within the royal family, polls showed conservatives rallied to the defense of monarchy.”
“Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday delivered the ‘Queen’s Speech,’ in which she lays out the agenda for Parliament. And this year’s speech featured a notable inclusion: a push to require voter ID in British elections,” Blake continued. “A number of prominent allies of former president Donald Trump quickly hailed the move. They did so not just because Britain is moving toward something Democrats have derided as being voter suppression, but because it was the queen, of all people, behind it. Their argument: How could it be racist when it’s the queen?”
Blake then ignored the point that was being made by many conservatives — that voter identification is far from a uniquely American policy rooted in systemic racism, and that cancel culture would have to apply to the British monarchy — by arguing that critics simply didn’t understand that the Queen was reading the policy of the British government.
For example, he called out Jenna Ellis, who tweeted, “Hey [Marc Elias], is the Queen racist?” Ellis tagged Democratic elections lawyer, Marc Elias. Blake also referenced Charlie Kirk, who tweeted, “Looking forward to widespread calls from the left to ‘cancel’ the Queen of England over the UK’s voter ID policy,” and conservative outlet RedState who reported, “But apparently, the Queen of Great Britain is racist, too, because, according to the Guardian, she’s about to announce tomorrow that photo ID will be required to vote in general elections to tackle fraud.”
Looking forward to widespread calls from the left to “cancel” the Queen of England over the UK’s voter ID policy.
🤔
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 11, 2021
Blake also didn’t fail to include a jab at the “history of the monarchy and its colonialism and yes, racism,” referencing Meghan Markle’s unsubstantiated accusations made during her interview with Oprah Winfrey as evidence of the monarchy’s “history” of racism.
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