Tower Hamlets and postal voting fraud

[longfingernails]

I am extremely concerned about the repeated reports of electoral malpractice in Tower Hamlets.

www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/london/police-to-guard-voting-booths-at-tower-hamlets-7703158.html

Police guarding voting booths is far too little, far too late. In a recent local by-election an astonishing 1 in 7 postal votes were rejected for being invalid - and that is just the ones which were caught!! On top of that, you have the problems of voting coercion, etc.

Postal voting needs to be on a needs-only basis - ie. only the disabled (and maybe pensioners) should be able to vote by post.

Furthermore, voting should require photographic ID. Those who forget to provide photo ID on election day should be able to cast a provisional vote (like in many American states); thus in the event of a close count their vote can be counted after their ID is verified, and no-one is disenfranchised.

Above all, the culture of silence by our political class around electoral fraud must be confronted.

For once I agree with you. I think the postal voting system is far too open to abuse and the Electoral Commision doesn't seem to be able to tighten things up effectively. Multiple votes out of one address, household heads 'selling' the votes of their family to the highest bidders. Is the fact that it affects communities of asian origin a factor in why it isn't tackled? That aside, I think it's naive to rely on people being truthful and honest - which seems to be the current approach.

I also agree - it's a disease at the heart of our democracy and is the sort of thing you'd expect from a banana republic and not in the Mother of all Parliaments.

Very worrying intimidation outside polling stations in Tower Hamlets

www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/mayor/police-call-for-reinforcements-at-tower-hamlets-polling-station-fracas-7711502.html