Electoral Commission
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Plans to prevent and detect electoral fraud are underway ahead of May elections

The Electoral Commission has yesterday highlighted the wide range of work underway to help to prevent and detect electoral fraud across the UK in advance of elections scheduled for 5 May 2016.

On Thursday 5 May, voters will go to the polls across the UK, with elections taking place in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This work will continue in the run up to the EU referendum. The Electoral Commission is supporting  the police, electoral administrators and political parties  to ensure that electoral fraud is prevented, that any allegations are swiftly investigated, and that in the relatively rare instances where fraud is committed it is detected and appropriately punished.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission said:

"It's important that voters have confidence in the voting process. Proven cases of electoral fraud remain relatively rare across the UK, but no one can afford to be complacent about the impact that fraud can have. We know from our work that it is campaigners, candidates and their supporters who commit electoral fraud and voters who are the victims.

"We will once again be working with everyone involved with elections to ensure that risks are monitored and tackled through sustained and coordinated action across the country. Voters can help us by reporting electoral fraud if they see it – to the police, or to Crimestoppers."

National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Electoral Malpractice and Electoral Fraud, Assistant Chief Constable, Gary Cann said:

"Electoral fraud is a serious offence and it is vital that people who are suspicious that this is taking place report it to the police. We have been engaged in tackling voting fraud for a number of years and continue to work with a range of partners to prevent and detect these crimes.

"The public should be assured that each force has an Election SPOC (Specific Points of Contact). These officers are equipped with the necessary skills and abilities to investigate election crime. Forces remain vigilant to the potential for fraud and will investigate where evidence of wrong doing emerges."

Action taken so far:

  • Updated guidance on electoral fraud for police forces – The College of Policing, working with the Commission, has published an updated version of the Authorised Professional Practice guidance on policing elections, and all police officers on duty on polling day will be issued with a pocket guide on preventing and detecting election offences.
  • A national seminar for specialist police officers – Every territorial police force in the UK has an identified Single Point of Contact (SPOC) officer for election related crime. The Commission, together with the National Police Chiefs' Council jointly hosted an annual training seminar for these specialist police officers in February 2016.
  • Information and materials for police and local authorities – The Commission is making these available in a variety of languages for police and local authorities to use to let voters know what electoral fraud is, how to report it, and what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable campaigning. More information can be found on our website.
  • Code of Conduct for Campaigners – The Commission will be reminding political parties, candidates and their supporters that they must follow this agreed code. The Commission has also recently called for all London Mayoral candidates to publicly declare their support. See the press release here
  • Targeted work in areas where there is a higher risk of electoral fraud allegations – The Commission focuses its monitoring and support in areas where there have been significant cases or allegations of electoral fraud in previous elections. Police forces and Returning Officers in these areas take additional steps to prevent and detect electoral fraud, and the Commission's role is to provide support and make sure that effective plans are in place to do this.

Helping voters to report fraud

As well as the activity outlined above the Commission will again be working nationally withCrimestoppers, the national anonymous crime reporting charity, to support and promote the option for people to report evidence or concerns about electoral fraud without giving details which could identify them.

The partnership with Crime Stoppers follows on from the work it did with the Commission ahead of the 2015 UK Parliamentary general election.

Anyone who is concerned about revealing their identity can contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 and a translation service is available for those whose first language is not English.

Levels of electoral fraud in 2015

Yesterday, the Commission also published data about the number of cases and complaints about alleged electoral fraud reported to police forces during 2015.

The Commission is the only organisation that collects and publishes these figures and they are published on an annual basis.The 2015 data can be viewed here

Police forces across the UK recorded a total of 481 cases of alleged electoral fraud during 2015. Of those cases, court proceedings had been initiated in relation to four cases of alleged electoral fraud, including three separate cases in which candidates (or in one case the husband of a candidate) have been convicted of submitting fraudulently completed nomination forms.

Police forces also recorded 184 other complaints about elections which did not relate to allegations of electoral fraud.

In 2015, Sir Eric Pickles announced that a Government review into electoral fraud would be held. The Commission submitted evidence to the review including a recommendation to introduce a system of that would require voters to produce a form of photographic identity at polling stations. The Government has yet to publish its findings from the review and the Commission hopes it will also consider and respond to our recommendations as part of this.

A Commission report on electoral fraud vulnerabilities concluded that this would be an effective mechanism for preventing personation at polling stations.

Electoral fraud responsibilities

The police are responsible for investigating any allegations of electoral fraud. Every police force in the UK has an identified Single Point of Contact Officer (or SPOC) for electoral fraud, who provides specialist support and advice to investigators.

Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers manage elections, and are uniquely placed to detect and prevent electoral fraud. They should have robust plans in place to identify any suspicious behaviour and should work with the police to investigate any potential electoral fraud.The Electoral Commission does not investigate electoral fraud but provides guidance, advice and support, we collect, analyse and publish data from police forces about cases of alleged electoral fraud in the UK each year.

Notes to editors

  1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK's democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
  2. The Electoral Commission does not investigate electoral fraud but provides guidance, advice and support, we collect, analyse and publish data from police forces about cases of alleged electoral fraud in the UK each year. More information on fraud responsibilities and our most recently published data can be found on the Commission's website here.
  3. The Commission published a review of electoral fraud vulnerabilities in January 2014. The full report can be viewed here.
  4. May 2016 will see elections to the Scottish Parliament; the National Assembly for Wales; the Mayor of London and London Assembly; Police and Crime Commissioner Elections across England and Wales; and local government elections in many areas of England.
  5. Cases of electoral fraud are defined as cases relating to offences under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983. Complaints which did not relate to electoral fraud offences in 2015 included allegations of: theft or damage to property, election material or vehicles; stalking; trespassing; taunting; blocking a polling station car park; malicious communications, race comments; offensive tweets or letters; assault; intimidating canvassers; copyright infringement.

 

Channel website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk

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