Tory scam to steal your data for electoral purposes

[noblegiraffe]

Local Tory parties are sending out letters asking people to sign up for postal votes, with an application form for a postal vote (genuine).

They are providing a free post envelope to send it back in.

This free post envelope does not go to the electoral services office address on the form, it goes to the local Tory party office.

They can then look at the form, see your details and know that you're wanting a postal vote (so can target you earlier in the election campaign). They will also know that you read mail from the conservatives.

Hopefully they will then pass your postal vote application form onto the correct address, but who knows?

Here's an example from twitter. People in a different area have also received one, but the free post envelope did not mention the Conservatives, it's only googling that showed the real destination.

twitter.com/markdpryan/status/1637165173734612999?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

There is a suggestion on twitter to fill the envelope with junk and return it to them.

They’ve all been doing this for years (as in, all the political parties). Really misleading OP and thread title.

I am now going out to bash my head against a brick wall. I have decided it's a much more constructive use of my time than engaging with this level of idiocy and ignorance.

This.

So on this thread I've had people telling me that they will have access to that data anyway when they don't.

That it's fine, when the electoral commission have given warnings over it.

That it's normal practice to amend postal application voting forms in order to collect data.

That providing a free post envelope to return to an address which isn't the correct address is just people keen to promote postal voting.

Hmm.

They aren't doing anything much different to what other political parties do.

Labour have done it - in the past - and had councillors convicted of postal vote fraud (although they still claim they're innocent)

This is not the big Tory conspiracy theory you think it is.

Labour have done it - in the past - and had councillors convicted of postal vote fraud

Then why the fuck are you insisting it's all fine?

It’s not fine, it’s just not a “Tory scam” which is what you are claiming throughout this thread.

Please show where I said it was fine to commit postal vote fraud.

Thank you @BelindaBears that's exactly what I mean.

Right, so it's not fine and the instance in the twitter post linked in the OP are of the Tory party doing it, but it's not the Tories.

If anyone wants to post examples of other parties amending postal vote application forms for data harvesting purposes, and providing a free envelope with the wrong address on it, feel absolutely free and I will condemn that as a scam too.

Does someone's phone number, email address, contact address, reason for not being at their registered address, and signature appear on the register then?

Just because most or all political parties do it doesn’t mean it’s OK.

Our electoral system isn’t fit for purpose in many ways and the existence of this sort of practice is one symptom of its failings.

You have spent quite a few posts on this thread trying to convince me that what is going on in the OP is fine.

But when Labour have done it, in the past, it was postal vote fraud?

Either you mean that Labour were doing something different, or you have changed your mind about whether this is fine or not.

No, they don't have access to that. Not sure why people are saying that they do.

Please show where I said it was fine to commit postal vote fraud.

It isn't.

But it isn't just the Tories who send out those sort of postal vote application forms

I've had them here. I can't remember who from because they went straight in the bin.

Same as the "contact us if you need a lift to the polling station" leaflets.

If you don't read the form properly that's on you.

Jaysus.

It's not a scam, its completely legal. That's been established

Its not compulsory to freely give your details

All parties do it

Separately, and apparently of little concern to you, there are documented instances of a certain party deliberately commiting fraud around postal voting

How long will you spend trying to convince everyone it's just the big bad Tories?

I wouldn't say it's a scam as they have included the legal information, but maybe sharp practice, to be honest it has always gone on, even in 1970's the local labour party used t offer car lifts to the elderly to the voting centre, now obviously you could take a lift in a labour car and vote tory, but it was an attempt to get their voters out before postal voting was a thing,

so no it's not a Tory scam because it is actually legal it appears and secondly they are not the only party that do this, your OP implied that this was a uniquely Tory practice and it was illegal

It's not a scam, its completely legal.

The information at the bottom left hand side of the amended postal vote application form saying

"The information you provide will be used for these purposes only, and will be used only be the Conservative Party; including its candidates, representatives and associations. We will not give information to anyone else."

How does that square with their promise to post the form on to the Electoral Registrations Officer?

It literally means what it says.

And the person has to actively tick one of three boxes where it is made clear that if you tick them you want the Conservative party to contact you.

your OP implied that this was a uniquely Tory practice and it was illegal

I never said it was a uniquely Tory practice, I said that the Tories were doing it, and they are.

And if it isn't illegal to amend postal vote application forms to become Tory data collection forms, it certainly seems ethically dubious, doesn't it? The Electoral Commission in Scotland wouldn't have warned that Tory MSP about it if it was fine, would they?

It literally means what it says.

If it literally means that they will not give the information you provide to anyone else, then how can they pass it onto the Electoral Registration Office?

Here's a thought, OP. Throw it in the bloody bin and ignore it.

We don't have access to the entirety of the letter.

But given what we can see I've circled the relevant bit in this screen shot.

You do realise that the person hasn't shared the whole letter?

Yes, the bit you've circled clearly says that the data provided on the form will not be shared with anyone else.

That's a legal statement, yes?

So how can they then legally post the form with all that data on to the Electoral Registration Officer, given that they've said that they won't share it with anyone outside of the Conservative Party?