Plan To Prevent Voting Fraud

[Khandro]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38440934
And about time too wouldn't you say?

[chiaroscuro]

oops 'neice'

[bhg481]

chiaroscurpo - the question to Khandro was not about postal votes' it was about people who don't have a driving licence or passport having the right to vote because they can't prove theit identity.

[bhg481]

chiaroscuro - you wetre right first time about "niece" and I was wrong, also the typo when spelling you name.

[chiaroscuro]

bhg481

Yes, but you raised the issue about your neice's disability which you have failed to answer.






which you have failed to answer

[jim360]

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be trying to prevent voter fraud but the rates are really rather low so it's not like this is actually a major problem. It will be interesting to see how this affects voter turnout rates if introduced, or if there are changes in the general turnout demographics.

And, as people have said, this only controls potential voter fraud at the actual polling station. Not that there's any real evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting either, but at any rate no amount of ID checks of this form will affect that.

[chiaroscuro]

bhg481

Yes, the word is 'niece' but don't worry about the misspelling of my username - it's my fault for choosing it.

[bhg481]

Niece is virtually housebound. She can just about get about the house, bent double and can struggle to a car on her own drive but no-way can she drive or even get her wheelchair into a car. If you are asking "Would postal voting be an absolute essenial?", the answer would be "No", provided someone could get her to and from the polling station. Would it be more likely to allow her to exercise her democratic right to vote? Yes.
Khandro's implication was that her lack of a driving licence and passport should make her ineligible to vote.

[THECORBYLOON]

If postal fraud is easier to carry out, will introduction of ID to vote in person not lead to more postal votes and more fraud by that method?

[Khandro]

bhg; I'm sorry to learn about your niece's condition, but I'm sure it would be possible to devise a foolproof method for her to vote.
The main problem is to prevent what is called 'harvesting', where boxes of ballot papers arrive at polling stations such as happened in the 2015 Oldham east by-election, and where the police said there were people in the ballot boxes who didn't have a clue why they were there.

[Zacs-Master]

From the article:

As well as the trials, election officials and police will be given new powers to tackle intimidation of voters by activists, who will also be banned from collecting postal votes for submission - a practice known as "harvesting".

[THECORBYLOON]

If I found someone in a ballot box I think we'd both be wondering what they were doing inside it...

[ichkeria]

It should not be impossible to implement a system where anyone with a genuine reason not to be able to attend a polling station can still cast a vote.
You should not just be able to apply.

On the other hand, one day maybe we will wish to go down the route pioneered by Estonia: electronic voting. And if and when that day ever comes we also need to be sure that such a system is not open to abuse, either in person, or by hacking.

[Khandro]

Corby; I think I meant 'voting booth'

[THECORBYLOON]

I think you did...

[mushroom25]

whatever system of voting and safeguarding as may be introduced in the future, willing to be that Lutfur Rahman will find a way to circumvent it.

[Togo]

Not having a passport or driving licence is unlikely to prevent someone voting. A utility bill or a transport ID pass will suffice. In N Ireland where ID has been required since 1985, people without any such documents can apply for a special ID card free of charge. We can skirt around the issue, but we all know why such measures are being introduced, and also which sections of the "community" are most at risk of fraudulent voting practices. When the likes of the odious Ken Livingstone, are against the idea we are entitled to view it as a good one.

[mikey4444]

My spelling was never good but without the spellchecker, it would be bloody awful !

Do some people on here not use their spellchecker ?

[ToraToraTora]

ZM: "As I pointed out. Tora is famous for not reading past the headlines. " - read it, but it does not answer the obvious as pointed out by Naomi does it?
"What other measures would you like to see put in place? " - abolish wholesale postal voting of course. if you do not care enough to get your plaster out to vote in person then you don't deserve a vote. Provision can be made for the disabled etc.

[mikey4444]

TTT...drivel. There are lots of people that can't vote on the day in question and postal voting is a way to help that.

As has been pointed out already, voter fraud through postal voting is not a huge problem, so why throw the baby out with the bathwater ?

[jourdain2]

We were allowed to vote in local and European elections in France - it was automatic that identity was proved before you got your ballot paper. No problems arose for anybody. I could have a problem in UK because my passport and driving licence are still in my maiden name and I am on the voters' roll under my married name, but all I have to do is produce my marriage certificate. As long as there is some flexibility like that there should not be a real problem for anybody - a bus pass is photo-identity.

Postal voting should be much more limited. I remember when, after the 1st round of voting produced the 'wrong' candidate for Maire in the lead, the 2nd round was awash with people carrying their elderly and infirm relatives into the voting booths to ensure the 'right' result.

It would all be so much simpler if everyone simply had a photo-identity equivalent to the 'Carte Verte' (social security and health entitlement card) to gain which you had to prove your identity and residence and contributions paid to the health system (either by you or your home government). It works beautifully. No honest person is penalised. I'd be happy to see that here.

My sister lives in Bradford and is clapping her hands and quite happy to prove her identity.