UK: Postal voting falls 80% after fraud inquiry

[muriel_volestrangler]

Postal voting fraud in council elections three years ago may have been more extensive than previously thought, it was reported today.

The BBC reported that the numbers of postal voters had fallen by 22,500 in the Birmingham wards at the centre of the allegations in 2004.

The case, which a high court judge famously said would have "shamed a banana republic", led to a reform of the postal voting system being rushed through by the government ahead of this week's polls.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/voting/story/0,,2070499,00.html?gusrc=ticker-103704

Just to show other countries have far from perfect systems. From a BBC article:

But election law expert Richard Price QC said individual registration - where any person going on to the Electoral Register must provide proof of identity as well as a signature - had "proved to be a complete success" in Northern Ireland and called for the government to "embrace" it.

That suggestion was rejected by Mrs Prentice, who said: "In Northern Ireland the register dropped very markedly after individual registration was brought in and it hasn't really gone back to the same figures again."

Mr Price also raised concerns about electronic voting, which is being piloted in some areas and which he said "is open to serious abuse".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6614067.stm

The BBC Radio story pointed out that the only other country where electoral registration is done by one person in a household on behalf of everyone is Zimbabwe. Mrs Prentice, the government minister, doesn't seem able to understand that a decrease in registration, as happened after the postal voting scam was uncovered, could mean less bogus voters - and that might be the reason there are less voters registered in Northern Ireland, after the system was tightened up there. It might be a good thing.

[Einsteinia]

1. I'm convinced that vote by mail

will be the NEXT way we'll be shut out of our voting.

It inherently divulges the voter because of the signature

And it is another trust based voting system.

I notice all the "bad actors" are working double time to promote it now.

[Febble]

2. I agree

It was a serious worry in our last election. I am just off to vote in person now....