Fit for purpose?
The basic building blocks of electoral
administration need long-term support and reform to ensure future voter confidence, our report on the UK general election shows.
The election laid bare the need to modernise how elections are run. With the legislative opportunities of a new Parliament, our report released this July sets out an agenda for the UK government to ensure future confidence in the electoral process.
Voter confidence ‘fragile’
Our post-election research finds voter confidence has fallen on last year. Two-thirds of voters were confident that the 2010 elections were well run, but 30% were ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ confident in the electoral process. The figure compares with only four per cent of voters who were less than confident in the process in 2009.
The fall follows the widely reported, but relatively isolated, problems seen on election night where long queues prevented some people from voting by the 10pm deadline – prompting our interim review into what went wrong.
Voters in 16 electoral constituencies in England – of 650 constituencies across the UK – were affected by the queues.
Voter confidence cannot be taken for granted, and it may take time to return confidence lost after the problems of 6 May.
Polling queues must not be repeated
Our interim review published in May found fundamental problems with consistency and co-ordination.
Key issues were staffing levels and the volume of electors assigned to polling stations across districts, inadequate planning and resource allocation, particularly where local government and mayoral elections were also scheduled, and where longer voting times should have been anticipated per elector, and the failure of election officials to identify and promptly respond to issues as they emerged.
The Returning Officer (RO) is personally responsible for the conduct of the election. With hundreds of independent ROs making their own decisions, we see the current system as too fragmented to deal with the voting needs of the 21st century and beyond.
The UK government has set out an ambitious programme of democratic reform, which is likely to mean more opportunities for voters to express their views. It will also, inevitably, mean more pressure on the machinery of electoral administration, particularly at a time when financial pressures are increasing across the public sector. It may not attract the same degree of attention as the politics of reform, but the role of electoral administration in delivering these changes should not be overlooked.
Reform needed
International observers – allowed for the first time to officially observe a general election in the UK – have highlighted the culture of trust and honesty that underpinned the May 2010 election process. Everyone involved in elections can take pride in this. However, while we are lucky to have inherited a trust based system from previous generations – this cannot endure forever.
It is not enough simply to trust that the machinery of electoral administration will always work well and deliver elections to a consistently high standard; it is not enough simply to trust that those who want to undermine elections will resist the temptation to exploit the system; it is not enough simply to trust that people and systems will be able to adapt and cope with change without proper time to prepare.
We have previously called for a change to the law to allow for better co-ordination and accountability from ROs. We see opportunity in building on existing regional models, but with powers to direct ROs where necessary.
We thank ROs and electoral administrators for the work they do locally to make democracy a reality and will continue to work with them to help improve the service that voters receive, challenging them where the level of service doesn’t meet the high standards that voters expect.
Through our advice and guidance we will ensure that lessons from 6 May are taken forward to planning for future elections. We want to see Electoral Registration Officers and ROs to begin their preparations now for the 2011 elections and proposed referendums so that proper contingencies are in place, turnout assumptions are correct, consideration is given to our Making your Mark design guidance so election materials are voter friendly, and appropriate focus is given to improving areas of low registration.
However, we urge for immediate action by the UK government in order to rebuild voter confidence made fragile by the systemic issues highlighted on 6 May. This includes a change to the law as soon as possible to allow voters queuing at polling stations at 10pm to cast their vote.
Five year plan
For our electoral system to be strengthened and fit for purpose in the long term, we want to see an electoral modernisation strategy implemented over the five years leading up to the next UK general election, anticipated 2015.
We are calling for:
- longer general election timetables, with improved voting opportunities for service personnel and overseas voters
- a review of the role, if any, advance voting may play and if there is a case for requiring proof of ID at polling stations in Great Britain – currently this is only a requirement for voters in Northern Ireland
- a comprehensive plan to ensure the effective management and delivery of future elections. This should include ensuring greater co-ordination for the delivery of elections and introducing measures to make ROs accountable for delivery of their statutory functions.
- individual electoral registration to be implemented in Great Britain in a way that maximises the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.
The UK government is responsible for electoral policy, for maintaining and updating the legislative framework for electoral administration, to ensure elections can be well run, and for ensuring electoral administration is properly funded.
Elections provide the foundation for the stable democracy that the UK has enjoyed for generations – they allow us to express our views and resolve our differences peacefully. While the UK general election was well-run in the majority of constituencies – it is clear from our report findings that this is despite the system, and not because of it.
As part of our reporting processes for the next elections, and proposed referendums in 2011, we will provide voters with an assessment of the progress made against our agenda as set out in our election report. We will review what the UK government has done, and will call attention to the challenges that remain.
Maintaining trust in elections takes hard work and commitment. Looking beyond 2010, we need to make certain that electoral practice presents no barrier to voter confidence in our democratic process, or its outcome.
Find out more:
- Read our election report outlining our agenda for change in full (PDF)
- For our voter material design guidance for electoral administrators and government policy makers, visit our Do Politics resource pages
- See our news release for more on our interim review of polling station queues on 6 May.
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