18 Jul 2008
The Electoral Commission has published its report on the May 2008 local elections in England.
The report finds that the elections went smoothly and there were few problems. Changes to elections rules first introduced last year were now well established and there were a relatively small number of elections compared to 2007.
However, the report makes a number of recommendations for changes that will help prevent any potential problems in future years when more elections are held and when turnout may be higher:
- Changes to electoral rules introduced in 2007 are now well established, meaning that organising the elections was a less challenging process for Returning Officers. The Commission continues to recommend that any future changes to electoral law should not be made within the six months before any election.
- In light of increasing pressures during the time available for printing and processing postal votes, the report also calls for the UK Parliamentary election timetable to be increased to 25 days, in line with other UK elections.
- The Commission was pleased that almost all Returning Officers (ROs) checked personal identifiers (voters’ date of birth and signature) on 100 percent of returned postal votes. Electoral law only requires ROs to check 20 percent of postal votes, and the Commission continues to call on Government to make 100 percent checking mandatory.
The report also found that public confidence in the security of postal voting has further increased this year. In our public opinion survey, 51 per cent of all respondents said that they thought postal voting was safe from fraud or abuse, an increase of 10 percentage points from last year. But The Commission continues to call to improved security through the introduction of individual voter registration.
Karen Quaintmere, Head of Electoral Administration at the Electoral Commission said:
“Although the elections went smoothly in England this year, this does not mean that future UK-wide elections can be predicted to go as well. Our report makes a number of recommendations that will allow us to build on this success for future elections and to ensure that procedures are revised to avoid any problems.
“The elections in May showed the benefits of establishing electoral law well in advance of polling day to ensure elections are planned for and run effectively, something the Commission has been calling for”.
In autumn of 2009, the Commission will be setting performance standards for Returning Officers to support improvements in the quality of election management and ensure electors’ interests are put at the centre of the democratic process.
Ends/
For further information contact
020 7271 0704
Out of hours: 07789 920414
Email: press@electoralcommission.org.uk
Notes to editors
- 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
- There were elections to 137 local authorities across all regions of England, with 36% of the electorate choosing to vote. There were around 10,000 candidates standing for around 2,800 local government vacancies.
- Included in the figure above there were shadow election in 4 new unitary authorities; Durham, Northumberland, East Cheshire & Chester and West Cheshire.
- In London, although there were no scheduled local council elections, there were elections for the London Assembly and the mayor; a separate report covers this election.
- In Wales, there where elections to all 22 local unitary authorities; a separate report covers these elections.
- The full report is available on the Electoral Commission website.
