Voters may have to sign to get ballot papers
Official review set to recommend check to cut down on electoral fraud
VOTERS could have to sign for their ballot papers when they arrive at polling stations under proposals being considered by the Government to tackle electoral fraud.
John Penrose, a Cabinet Office minister, put forward the proposal as a way of ensuring that only valid votes are cast.
The Government has commissioned Sir Eric Pickles, the former Cabinet minister, to carry out a review into electoral fraud. He said the idea of having to sign for ballot papers was something he was considering and would be included in his final recommendations which are due in the next few weeks.
Police investigated several instances of alleged voter impersonation at last May’s general election in England and Scotland. There were also claims of fraud after Labour’s victory in last month’s Oldham West and Royton by-election. The UK Independence Party claimed that people with “bundles of postal votes” had turned up at polling booths.
Mr Penrose said that he was struck by the fact that voters in the US, including President Barack Obama, are expected to sign for ballot papers when they vote.
He added: “There are models elsewhere in the world that we could look at, always with an eye to the fact that we do not want to discourage legitimate voters from turning out.”
Currently, people in the UK are only required to show their voting cards at polling stations.
Making them sign for their ballot papers would allow election scrutineers to check their signatures against those given when they initially registered.
The necessary laws already exist to allow for such a move, and it would only need approval by MPs in the House of Commons to come into force. Sir Eric told The Sunday
Telegraph that there was “a strong case” for asking voters to sign for ballot papers.
“The aim is to remind people that this is an important transaction and if they are impersonating and get caught there will be consequences – they will have signed for something and clearly forged someone’s signature,” he said. “If President Obama has to sign for his ballot paper I can’t see why a British citizen shouldn’t.”
Jonathan Lord, a Conservative MP, said the requirement made sense because voters already had to sign for postal ballots.
He said: “There are nine million postal voters, with 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the electorate now choosing to vote by post.
“If that 20 per cent is being checked, why should the signature and validity of the ballot at the polling station not be checked?”
The Electoral Commission, the independent body that sets standards for elections, declined to comment.