The Oxford Union has approved stricter voting procedures after repeated cases of impersonation and electoral misconduct.
Members casting ballots will be required to present their membership card together with one other form of identification.
The Standing Committee accepted the alteration earlier this week.
Union President Gareth Lim said the additional check is intended to safeguard the validity of elections and prevent the use of forged membership cards or cards obtained improperly.
A proposal submitted to the Standing Committee stated that the former arrangements were vulnerable to misuse and that electoral procedures should withstand attempted fraud.
Misconduct affected the two latest Union elections.
During the Trinity Term 2026 contest, the count was halted after the Returning Officer found evidence of significant interference before any ballot boxes were opened.
CCTV footage recorded people attempting to vote with cards belonging to somebody else.
The Hilary election was also affected.
President-Elect Catherine Xu was subsequently removed after a separate Tribunal determined that she had circulated other members’ cards for use in voting.
Authorities seized membership cards following both contests, while anyone found guilty of wrongdoing was suspended from the Union.
Lim had proposed the dual-identification arrangement during the summer, before the Standing Committee endorsed it and the Union’s house approved the changes on Thursday.
He explained that the response followed suspected large-scale use of counterfeit voting credentials in June.
The earlier Hilary incident was believed at the time to have been the work of a single individual.
Official guidance concerning acceptable secondary identification remained unconfirmed.
Cherwell reported that a student identification card, including a Bodleian card, would meet the requirement.
Changes will also apply to the selection of candidates for the Standing Committee.
From the Hilary term 2027 elections, candidates for Secretary’s Committee must receive three separate nominations from individuals who are not themselves candidates.
The aim is to ease the pressure placed on electoral officials by candidates lacking clear support or a genuine interest in winning.
Returning Officers will test the revised arrangement through a mock election at the US Midterm Election event this evening.
Attendees have been instructed to bring government identification as well as their Union card.
The new rules are due to apply at the next election on 27 November.