Agenda item

This Council Meeting notes findings in a report from the Electoral Commission which showed that allegations of personation doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.

 

This Council Meeting believes that electoral fraud is always unacceptable and that eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices ensures the integrity of our electoral system and builds a secure democracy that works for everyone.

 

This Council Meeting welcome steps already taken by the Government to ensure the protection of our democratic electoral system, a secure ballot and the tackling of electoral fraud such as the move to Individual Electoral Registration which ensures the register is more accurate, more up to date and helps to minimise opportunities for electoral fraud.

 

This Council Meeting notes the Government’s response, “A Democracy that Works for Everyone: A Clear and Secure Democracy” (December 2016), to Sir Eric Pickles’ review of electoral fraud which highlighted a number of vulnerabilities in our system including the potential for significant abuse in relation to personation at polling stations with little risk of detection and recommended introduction of voter identification.

 

This Council Meeting recognises that there continue to be strong arguments in favour of introducing voter identification and that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Electoral Commission have recommended the introduction of ID in polling stations in the UK in recent years, with the Association of Electoral Administrators, SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council all in favour of an ID requirement.

 

This Council Meeting further recognises;

 

·           that ID requirements for eligible electors do not need to be over elaborate, should aim to enhance public confidence and be proportional;

·           that accessibility of polling stations for all those entitled to vote should be maintained;

·           that polling stations should be fully accessible to disabled people and those with mobility issues with additional appropriate help and assistance available for those with vision impairments;

·           that electoral integrity trials offer an opportunity to test and evaluate how effective difference varieties of ID in different combinations are in meeting the objectives of the trials;

·           that a number of commonly held photographic and non-photographic documents  will be accepted for identification purposes during the trials and that any elector unable to comply and produce the necessary identification will have another available option for proving their identity.

 

This Council Meeting therefore;

 

·           welcomes the electoral integrity pilots which will trial voter identification in the local elections in May 2018 at five authorities – Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Swindon and Watford – with Tower Hamlets also piloting new security features for postal voting; and

·           requests that the Chief Executive brings forward a report to CRMG Scrutiny Committee on voter identification once the results of the trials are known.

 

Moved by:                 Councillor Syd Lloyd

Seconded by:           Councillor John McGahan

MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes findings in a report from the Electoral Commission which showed that allegations of personation doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.

 

This Council Meeting believes that electoral fraud is always unacceptable and that eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices ensures the integrity of our electoral system and builds a secure democracy that works for everyone.

 

This Council Meeting welcome steps already taken by the Government to ensure the protection of our democratic electoral system, a secure ballot and the tackling of electoral fraud such as the move to Individual Electoral Registration which ensures the register is more accurate, more up to date and helps to minimise opportunities for electoral fraud.

 

This Council Meeting notes the Government’s response, “A Democracy that Works for Everyone: A Clear and Secure Democracy” (December 2016), to Sir Eric Pickles’ review of electoral fraud which highlighted a number of vulnerabilities in our system including the potential for significant abuse in relation to personation at polling stations with little risk of detection and recommended introduction of voter identification.

 

This Council Meeting recognises that there continue to be strong arguments in favour of introducing voter identification and that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Electoral Commission have recommended the introduction of ID in polling stations in the UK in recent years, with the Association of Electoral Administrators, SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council all in favour of an ID requirement.

 

This Council Meeting further recognises;

 

·         that ID requirements for eligible electors do not need to be over elaborate, should aim to enhance public confidence and be proportional;

·         that accessibility of polling stations for all those entitled to vote should be maintained;

·         that polling stations should be fully accessible to disabled people and those with mobility issues with additional appropriate help and assistance available for those with vision impairments;

·         that electoral integrity trials offer an opportunity to test and evaluate how effective difference varieties of ID in different combinations are in meeting the objectives of the trials;

·         that a number of commonly held photographic and non-photographic documents  will be accepted for identification purposes during the trials and that any elector unable to comply and produce the necessary identification will have another available option for proving their identity.

 

This Council Meeting therefore;

 

·         welcomes the electoral integrity pilots which will trial voter identification in the local elections in May 2018 at five authorities – Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Swindon and Watford – with Tower Hamlets also piloting new security features for postal voting; and

·         requests that the Chief Executive brings forward a report to CRMG Scrutiny Committee on voter identification once the results of the trials are known.

 

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes findings in a report from the Electoral Commission which showed that allegations of personation doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.

 

This Council Meeting believes that electoral fraud is always unacceptable and that eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices ensures the integrity of our electoral system and builds a secure democracy that works for everyone.

 

This Council Meeting notes steps already taken by the Government to ensure the protection of our democratic electoral system, a secure ballot and the tackling of electoral fraud such as the move to Individual Electoral Registration which ensures the register is more accurate, more up to date and helps to minimise opportunities for electoral fraud.

 

This Council Meeting notes the Government’s response, “A Democracy that Works for Everyone: A Clear and Secure Democracy” (December 2016), to Sir Eric Pickles’ review of electoral fraud which highlighted a number of vulnerabilities in our system including the potential for significant abuse in relation to personation at polling stations with little risk of detection and recommended introduction of voter identification.

 

This Council Meeting recognises that there are arguments in favour of introducing voter identification and that the Organisation for Security and

Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Electoral Commission have recommended the introduction of ID in polling stations in the UK in recent years, with the Association of Electoral Administrators, SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council all in favour of an ID requirement.

 

This Council Meeting recognises;

 

·         that ID requirements for eligible electors do not need to be over elaborate,

should aim to enhance public confidence and be proportional;

·         that accessibility of polling stations for all those entitled to vote should be

maintained;

·         that polling stations should be fully accessible to disabled people and those with mobility issues with additional appropriate help and assistance available for those with vision impairments;

·         that electoral integrity trials offer an opportunity to test and evaluate how effective different varieties of ID in different combinations are in meeting the objectives of the trials;

·         that a number of commonly held photographic and non-photographic documents will be accepted for identification purposes during the trials and that any elector unable to comply and produce the necessary identification will have another available option for proving their identity.

 

This Council Meeting notes:

 

·         that according to the Electoral Commission’s own data, out of almost 45 million votes cast there was only one conviction for personation in polling stations for elections held in 2017; and

·         that all other electoral offences committed during 2017 led to only 8 cautions.

 

This Council Meeting notes with concern:

 

·         that a disproportionate response to this problem is likely to result in the disenfranchisement of large numbers of voters who are the most vulnerable in our society, as they are the least likely to possess passports, driving licences and other forms of acceptable official identification; and

·         that widening the acceptable identification to include utility bills etc will not help some young voters, some older voters or the least well off in society, who do not have utility bills.

 

This Council Meeting therefore;

 

·         notes the electoral integrity pilots which will trial voter identification in the local elections in May 2018 at five authorities – Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Swindon and Watford – with Tower Hamlets also piloting new security features for postal voting; and

·         requests that the Chief Executive brings forward a report to CRMG Scrutiny Committee on voter identification once the results of the trials are known.

 

For the amendment 43, against 11, abstentions 1.

 

AMENDMENT CARRIED

 

The amendment was then put as the substantive motion and it was

 

RESOLVED – (45 for, 11 against) This Council Meeting notes findings in a report from the Electoral Commission which showed that allegations of personation doubled nationally between 2014 and 2016.

 

This Council Meeting believes that electoral fraud is always unacceptable and that eliminating fraud and tackling improper practices ensures the integrity of our electoral system and builds a secure democracy that works for everyone.

 

This Council Meeting notes steps already taken by the Government to ensure the protection of our democratic electoral system, a secure ballot and the tackling of electoral fraud such as the move to Individual Electoral Registration which ensures the register is more accurate, more up to date and helps to minimise opportunities for electoral fraud.

 

This Council Meeting notes the Government’s response, “A Democracy that Works for Everyone: A Clear and Secure Democracy” (December 2016), to Sir Eric Pickles’ review of electoral fraud which highlighted a number of vulnerabilities in our system including the potential for significant abuse in relation to personation at polling stations with little risk of detection and recommended introduction of voter identification.

 

This Council Meeting recognises that there are arguments in favour of introducing voter identification and that the Organisation for Security and

Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Electoral Commission have recommended the introduction of ID in polling stations in the UK in recent years, with the Association of Electoral Administrators, SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council all in favour of an ID requirement.

 

This Council Meeting recognises;

 

·         that ID requirements for eligible electors do not need to be over elaborate,

should aim to enhance public confidence and be proportional;

·         that accessibility of polling stations for all those entitled to vote should be

maintained;

·         that polling stations should be fully accessible to disabled people and those with mobility issues with additional appropriate help and assistance available for those with vision impairments;

·         that electoral integrity trials offer an opportunity to test and evaluate how effective different varieties of ID in different combinations are in meeting the objectives of the trials;

·         that a number of commonly held photographic and non-photographic documents will be accepted for identification purposes during the trials and that any elector unable to comply and produce the necessary identification will have another available option for proving their identity.

 

This Council Meeting notes:

 

·         that according to the Electoral Commission’s own data, out of almost 45 million votes cast there was only one conviction for personation in polling stations for elections held in 2017; and

·         that all other electoral offences committed during 2017 led to only 8 cautions.

 

This Council Meeting notes with concern:

 

·         that a disproportionate response to this problem is likely to result in the disenfranchisement of large numbers of voters who are the most vulnerable in our society, as they are the least likely to possess passports, driving licences and other forms of acceptable official identification; and

·         that widening the acceptable identification to include utility bills etc will not help some young voters, some older voters or the least well off in society, who do not have utility bills.

 

This Council Meeting therefore;

 

·         notes the electoral integrity pilots which will trial voter identification in the local elections in May 2018 at five authorities – Woking, Gosport, Bromley, Swindon and Watford – with Tower Hamlets also piloting new security features for postal voting; and

·         requests that the Chief Executive brings forward a report to CRMG Scrutiny Committee on voter identification once the results of the trials are known.