MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (007/08) issued by The Government News Network on 18
January 2008
Birmingham peer
and Government Minister Lord Hunt today reiterated the
Government's firm commitment to tackling electoral fraud and
misconduct. He stressed the Government, the Electoral Commission
and the Police all had vital roles to play in preventing and
detecting election fraud.
Welcoming a new handbook and guidance produced by the Electoral
Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) at
a seminar in Birmingham, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Parliamentary
Under-Secretary for Justice said:
"I endorse this initiative wholeheartedly. Despite the great
strides already made, we are committed to working with the police,
ACPO and the Electoral Commission to stop electoral fraud and
deliver secure elections.
"The Governance of Britain Green Paper aims to invigorate
our democracy and encourage civic participation. But democracy is
not only about having the choice to vote but also about having
confidence in the integrity of the system. It is absolutely
critical that people have confidence that their vote will be cast
and counted fairly.
"Measures to improve security have been introduced such as
the requirement for all people applying to vote by post or proxy
to provide their signature and date of birth.
"Alongside the introduction of stronger election offences,
this represents a comprehensive set of legislative changes that
have improved security and confidence in our electoral system."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Electoral Commission and ACPO guidance will be available
on the Electoral Commission website http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk
2. For full details of the effects of the Electoral
Administration Act visit:
http://www.dca.gov.uk/legist/electadmin.htm
3. The 'Governance of Britain' Green Paper was
published on 3 July 2007.
4. The measures to improve security and confidence at the polls,
which came into force January 2007, include:
* New offences for supplying false information and for falsely
applying for a postal or proxy vote.
* Provision of signatures and dates of births for postal vote
applications which enable checks to be carried out.
* The introduction of a marked register of postal votes received.
5. Other key changes were:
* Strengthening the offence of undue influence and making it
effective even where influence has not led to any action being taken.
* Improving the security of ballot papers by replacing stamping
instruments with a security mark and barcodes on ballots to help
validate ballot papers and with the administration of lost or
stolen postal votes and replacement ballot papers.
* Allowing accredited observers into polling stations to observe
the electoral process and other parts of the process, such as the count.
* Increasing the length of time available for the police to carry
out investigations into electoral fraud.
* Secrecy warnings to accompany postal and proxy voting papers to
deter anyone from unlawfully attempting to influence another
person's vote.
6. These regulations form part of the Electoral Administration
Act (2006). It aims to tackle four areas at the core of a healthy
democracy by improving access, improving confidence, extending
openness and transparency of party financing and maintaining the
professional delivery of elections.
http://www.justice.gov.uk
ENDS