Warning over election fraud

ALLOWING people to register for postal votes in Warrington’s Contact Centre could result in increased fraud.
This was the answer given to local campaigner John Mulhall when he posed a question at a meeting of the borough council.
Mr Mulhall (pictured) had asked if the council would promote the registration of postal votes via the Contact Centre in Horsemarket Street so that members of the public could go in and register.
But council leader Ian Marks said there was some concern about displaying poster promoting postal voting at the Contact Centre as this could lead people to believe they could complete a form on the spot.
He said: “The Electoral Commission has issued guidelines in relation to the handling of postal vote application forms and recommends that pre printed application forms should be sent out direct from Electoral Services offices to an elector’s home address to reduce the risk of fraud.
“The council works in accordance with this guidance and pre printed bar-coded forms are issued direct from the Electoral Management System to the elector’s registered address.
“The provision of a full registration service at the Contact Centre, as suggested, would be contrary to Electoral Commission guidelines and the council’s integrity plan.”
Cllr Marks said the centre already had copies of all election notices and election information, including a frequently asked questions document in the build up to an election.
This information contained details of the deadlines for postal vote applications and electoral registration. The centre notified Electoral Services of the name and address of anyone applying for a postal vote.
However the council was looking at the promotion of this year’s elections and how the Contact Centre could be included without misleading residents or compromising electoral integrity.
Last year, the council sent out 11,944 application forms and there are currently 27,000 registered postal voters in the Borough.