Voting watchdog demands reform after chaotic election
By politics.co.uk staff
The chaos that beset many polling stations in Britain on the day of the general election has prompted the Electoral Commission to demand reform of the way polling stations are run.
At least 1,200 people were still queuing at 27 polling stations in 16 constituencies at 22:00 BST on May 6th. These people were unable to cast their vote, leading to angry scenes between the public and voting officials.
The interim review, published this afternoon, demands a change in the law so those queuing at 22:00 BST are allowed to vote.
It also calls for local authorities and returning officers to improve their planning, review schemes for polling districts and allocate the right number of staff to each polling station.
It also calls for change in the structure of how elections are conducted so that they can be managed in a more professional and consistent manner.
“We are calling for urgent changes to electoral law so that any elector who is entitled to vote and who is queuing at a polling station at the close of poll will be allowed to vote,” said Jenny Watson, chair of the Electoral Commission.
“However, Returning Officers in the areas affected did not properly plan for, or react to, polling day problems. That is unacceptable. People in these areas were badly let down and have every right to be angry.
“The current system is too fragmented, with hundreds of independent returning officers making their own decisions. The Commission has previously called for better co-ordination and accountability, building on existing regional models. And there should be powers to direct returning officers where necessary.”
A full review will be published in the future, but with anger over the conduct of election night still fresh in many voters’ minds, the Commission decided to release an interim report before it has completed the inquiry.
