Watchdog consults on reforms amid concerns over electoral fraud

The majority of cases of alleged electoral fraud relate to local government elections, the Electoral Commission revealed this month as it launched a consultation on proposed reforms.

Publishing the results of the first phase of a review, the watchdog said electoral fraud was not widespread in the UK.

A total of 406 cases of alleged electoral fraud were reported by the police in 2012, up from 271 in 2010 and 268 in 2011.

However, only a small number of allegations were substantiated. The Commission said it was not aware of any cases that had been resolved with a conviction, nor any case which affected the outcome of any election either in May or November 2012.

The watchdog added that it was unclear how much of the rise in cases reflected an increased focus on recording of particular offences by the police.

The review also found that:

  • Electoral fraud was more likely to be reported as having taken place on a significant scale in specific places in England;
  • The top police forces reporting the most number of alleged cases were: the Metropolitan Police Service; Cambridgeshire Constabulary; Gwent Police; West Midlands; and West Yorkshire;
  • Fifteen areas where there has been a history of cases of alleged fraud are: Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Burnley, Calderdale, Coventry, Hyndburn, Kirklees, Oldham, Pendle, Peterborough, Slough, Tower Hamlets, Walsall, and Woking.
  • Fraud tended to be committed by candidates or their supporters, rather than voters. Alleged fraud relating to campaigning offences accounted for 41% of cases. 26% of cases related to alleged voting offences, 23% to registration and 6% to nomination;
  • A significant proportion of the public (around a third of respondents to the Commission’s public opinion research surveys) were concerned about electoral fraud. The fact that no ID was required at a polling station was highlighted as a concern for some people.

The watchdog said there was an absence of robust evidence for the views held by some people who believed that electoral fraud was more likely to be committed by, or in support of, candidates from areas which were largely populated by some South Asian communities. 

It said that in order to test the validity of these concerns, it would carry out further work to try and assess whether or not people within those communities were able to effectively exercise their own vote.

The Commission’s consultation will meanwhile examine possible changes to the arrangements for voting by post, proxy and in polling stations, amid concerns that the system might be vulnerable to abuse “even when everything possible is done to prevent and detect it”.

The proposals include:

  • Restricting the availability of postal voting in Great Britain;
  • Providing alternatives to postal voting, including advance voting;
  • Restricting the handling of postal vote applications and postal ballot packs by campaigners and prohibiting the availability of absent voters’ lists before elections;
  • Requiring all voters at polling stations in Great Britain to provide proof of their identity;
  • Introducing statutory restrictions on the activities of campaigners outside polling stations.

The Commission made a number of recommendations for elections in 2014/15. It called on Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) to begin detailed planning “to ensure their approach to preventing and detecting electoral fraud is as through and robust as possible”.

The watchdog also said police forces should review their plans for policing elections in 2014 and 2015 in conjunction with EROs and ROs.

Candidates, political parties and other campaigners were meanwhile urged to make clear publicly their commitment to following the Commission’s code of conduct for campaigners.

Jenny Watson, chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “Although the law has been changed over the years to strengthen the system introducing checks on postal votes and making registering to vote more secure starting next summer - our research shows voters are still concerned about electoral fraud.

“As we make the electoral registration system more secure, it’s time to look at whether other trust-based elements of our system are sustainable. There are trade-offs between making the system accessible and making it secure. We need to make sure we have the right balance so that voters and political parties can participate in elections, but risks from unscrupulous campaigners are reduced.”



Watson added: “These are not easy issues to resolve, and we are not ruling out considering any potential solution at this stage.”



The Commission’s analysis of cases of alleged electoral fraud in 2012 can be viewed here.