2019 electoral fraud data
Electoral fraud in 2019
The UK has low levels of proven electoral fraud.
There remains no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud in 2019.
Overview
595 cases of alleged electoral fraud were investigated by the police. Of these, five led to a conviction and two individuals were given a police caution.
This table shows the number of cases of alleged fraud the police reported to us, for each election held in 2019.
Election | Number of cases |
---|---|
Local elections | 362 |
UK Parliamentary general election | 164 |
European Parliamentary election | 21 |
Non-election specific (for example, electoral registration) | 21 |
Local by-election | 12 |
UK Parliamentary by-election | 7 |
Mayoral election | 6 |
Combined authority mayoral election | 1 |
Police and Crime Commissioner by-election | 1 |
Cases where the suspect was convicted, or accepted a police caution
A conviction for perverting the course of justice
Derbyshire Police received a report at the 2019 local elections that a supporter of one of the candidates had tampered with and collected the postal votes of a family. Their ballots were intercepted, and the supporter’s fingerprints were found on the ballot papers and envelopes. The family were not honest or forthcoming about how the fingerprints got onto the ballots which hindered the police investigation. This meant that the police were out of time to charge the supporter with the offence of postal vote personation. But the family members were charged with perverting the course of justice, as was the candidate who received their votes.
At the trial, the candidate was acquitted. The case against two of the family members was discontinued. The third family member pleaded guilty to two charges of perverting the course of justice. On 6th December 2023, he was:
- Given two concurrent, six-month prison sentences, suspended for 12 months.
- Ordered to pay costs of £2,615.
A conviction for false information on a nomination paper
South Wales Police received a report that a candidate for a local council by-election (Neath Port Talbot Council) submitted a nomination form that included forged signatures. This was not discovered until after the close of nominations, and so the candidate remained on the ballot paper.
The candidate was not elected.
Following a police investigation the suspect pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial and was:
- sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 12 months
- given a 15 days rehabilitation requirement
- ordered to complete 180 hours of community service
- ordered to pay costs of £2,366
A conviction for false information on a nomination paper
Norfolk Police received a report that an independent candidate submitted a local government election nomination form that included a signature from a supporter that he knew was false.
The candidate was elected, but following a police investigation he stood down and was:
- fined £3,300
- not allowed to stand for election for five years
A conviction for using someone else's vote at a polling station
West Yorkshire police received a report from polling station staff that a man had voted twice in the European Parliamentary election.
A polling station staff member became suspicious and went to the police. The police then arrested and interviewed the voter. He admitted to voting twice, once using his own name and once using his son’s name. He was:
- sentenced to 8 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months
- given a fine of £50
- not allowed to vote for five years
A conviction for tampering with ballot papers
The Metropolitan Police received a report of a disruption at a polling station within the Erith and Thamesmead constituency at the UK Parliamentary general election. Someone entered a polling station and after being told that they were not entitled to vote, took hold of the ballot box to stop anyone else from casting their vote. Owing to the individual’s disruptive behaviour, police arrested the offender and took them away from the polling station.
Following a police investigation the individual was charged with taking or interfering with a ballot box and pleaded guilty at court.
He was sentenced to a 24 month rehabilitation activity programme and ordered to pay £620 in costs.
A caution for using someone else's vote at a polling station
West Mercia police received a report that someone had voted at a polling station in the European Parliamentary election, but they weren’t on the electoral register.
The suspect knew that he was not on the electoral register and could not vote. Instead, he gave his father’s name to polling station staff and was given a ballot paper and cast his vote.
A polling station staff member suspected the voter was not who he said he was. They raised their concerns with the police who interviewed him under caution. He fully accepted that he had voted using his father’s name.
He accepted a caution from the police.
A caution for false information on a nomination paper
The Police Service of Northern Ireland received a report that a Democratic Unionist Party candidate had submitted a local government election nomination form that included an address that they had previously lived at and not their current one. Once contacted by the police, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council confirmed that the nomination papers had been accepted for this candidate, and it was too late for the address to be removed from the notice of poll or from the ballot papers for the election.
The candidate was not elected, but following a police investigation, they accepted a caution from police.
Election petitions
An election petition is a legal challenge to the result and/or the delivery of an election.
There were eight petitions following elections in 2019. Six of these were made after the 2 May elections. Only two of these were successful.
One petition was made following the 6 June 2019 Peterborough parliamentary by-election. Another petition was made following the 12 December 2019 UK Parliamentary general election in the East Ham Parliamentary constituency. Both petitions were unsuccessful.
Outcome of all reported cases
Outcome | Number of cases | Percentage of total |
---|---|---|
No further action | 384 | 65% |
Locally resolved | 200 | 34% |
Conviction | 5 | 1% |
Caution | 2 | Less than 1% |
Other | 2 | Less than 1% |
Acquitted | 1 | Less than 1% |
Court proceedings discontinued | 1 | Less than 1% |
Two thirds of all cases resulted in the police taking no further action. This means that the cases were not investigated further by the police because there was no evidence (or there wasn’t enough evidence), or no offence was found.
Types of electoral fraud allegations
More than half of all reported cases were about campaigning offences. Most of these were:
- campaigners not including details about the printer, promotor or publisher on election material - an ‘imprint’
- someone making false statements about the personal character or conduct of a candidate
Number of cases and types of offences investigated in 2019
The table shows the number of cases, and types of offences that were investigated in 2019
Category | Number of cases | Percentage of total |
---|---|---|
Campaigning | 320 | 54% |
Voting | 142 | 24% |
Nomination | 71 | 12% |
Registration | 58 | 10% |
Administration | 4 | 1% |
Accessible information
Download this table to search for data from specific police forces, by category of offence or outcome.
Please contact us if you require the allegations data by police force in another format.
Types of electoral fraud reported since 2010
Description of the tableau
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 54% |
Voting | 24% |
Nomination | 12% |
Registration | 10% |
Administration | 1% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 48% |
Voting | 21% |
Nomination | 15% |
Registration | 15% |
Administration | 0% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 49% |
Voting | 31% |
Registration | 11% |
Nomination | 7% |
Administration | 1% |
Miscellaneous | 1% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Voting | 43% |
Campaigning | 37% |
Nomination | 9% |
Registration | 8% |
Administration | 2% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 56% |
Voting | 26% |
Nomination | 10% |
Registration | 8% |
Administration | 1% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 38% |
Voting | 27% |
Registration | 15% |
Nomination | 14% |
Miscellaneous | 3% |
Administration | 3% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 54% |
Registration | 18% |
Voting | 13% |
Nomination | 8% |
Miscellaneous | 5% |
Administration | 1% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 41% |
Voting | 25% |
Registration | 23% |
Nomination | 6% |
Miscellaneous | 3% |
Administration | 1% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Campaigning | 52% |
Registration | 22% |
Voting | 14% |
Nomination | 7% |
Miscellaneous | 4% |
Administration | 2% |
Category | Percentage of total |
---|---|
Voting | 32% |
Campaigning | 31% |
Registration | 28% |
Nomination | 6% |
Miscellaneous | 2% |
Administration | 1% |