With voter fraud so low, do we need reform of the UK electoral system?

The reforming Elections Bill 2021 going through parliament, which largely relates to the whole of the UK, is summarised on the UK Government’s website, which interested parties might wish to read. The summary includes various sections: clarification of undue influence, notional expenditure by candidates, new rules on benefits in kind which need to be declared, voter identification, overseas electors, the role of the Electoral Commission, postal voting etc.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson slammed by Electoral Commission over plan to 'rig' system

For those eligible voters who cannot meet the photo verification requirements, there is the option of applying for a voter ID card, a concession presumably necessary to maintain the framework of universal suffrage.

Vote harvesting could simply refer to someone (possibly a political campaigner) gathering together sealed postal votes to take them to the polling station. The bill has identified this convention to be regulated by restricting collection of postal ballots to a listed family member or carer, who may return up to four electors’ ballots where no more than two may be electors who are not overseas or service voters. There is no reference as to what situations this might relate to, eg people with mobility issues perhaps, or if individuals within such a scheme will be able to decide at a later date to deliver their votes or post them themselves.

Regulations around postal voting are to be tightened, with UK voters required to reapply every three years. For overseas electors or expats the 15-year limit will be scrapped and the registration period extended from one year to three.

READ MORE: Nigel Farage blames ‘EU and Nato’ for Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Electoral Commission will be expressly prevented from bringing prosecutions, in order to avoid overlap with other prosecuting authorities.

It will be bound by a strategy and policy statement (to be agreed by parliament) setting guidance and principles, which the Commission will have to have regard to in the discharge of its functions. A Speaker’s parliamentary committee will be given the power to examine the Commission’s compliance to the statement. In light of this change there is reassurance that the Commission will remain operationally independent, with its other duties not to be undermined or replaced.

There has been concerns generally reported that some of these reforms will result in increased barriers to voting, in other matters possibly involve the centralisation of electoral oversight, and may also include an element of party politicking. However, despite the present electoral system being generally thought to be free from all but infinitesimally small levels of fraud, the government apparently feels this to be a called-for piece of legislation.

Peter Gorrie
Edinburgh

I AT first thought John Baird’s admirable letter in Thursday’s National, where he describes the SNP as a monster, was a timely effort, but on reflection I think he is already too late as I feel the party has completely lost the place. It appears that the raison d’etre of the SNP is no longer the achieving of independence. This saddens me as I actively supported the party for more than 50 years (canvassing, leafleting etc) but left after losing count of the number of mandates it had but ignored to conduct an independence referendum. Their latest action in the vociferous backing of Johnson’s efforts to command world attention in the Ukraine affair is, for me, the final straw.

N M Shaw
Edinburgh