Terror attack warning at election counts

ELECTION counts could be vulnerable to terror attacks because observers are not checked, the Electoral Commission has said, amid warnings about cyber attacks and fraud which could put the credibility of voting at risk.

A review is now under way after concerns were raised with the Electoral Commission that official observers could pose a terror risk at general election counting events across the UK.

In a report into how the 2017 election was run, the commission said it had been contacted by a number of officials who said they were not told in advance that observers would be attending to watch ballots being counted.

It came as Sir John Holmes, chairman of the Commission, called for widespread reform.

In a speech last night, he said that Britain’s electoral system is beginning to “strain at the seams”, adding that the Government must stop stalling on changes to electoral law, including requiring voters to show ID. But he warned a lack of Parliamentary time, because of Brexit, meant the reforms could become a “political football”.

He also warned that Russia and other states could pose a hacking risk: “There is an obvious worry that our actual electoral processes could be subverted … given the risks, including from states like Russia with form in this area. This is clearly a strong argument against moving to online or electronic voting.”