Lord McIntosh

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

Issues

Electronic Voting

House of Lords debate Postal Ballots 30 May 2002

My Lords, the Electoral Commission's evaluation of the electoral pilot schemes will provide a detailed assessment of the impact of new voting methods, including all-postal ballots and e-voting, to the Lord Chancellor by 2nd August. Early indications are that all-postal ballots can increase turnout and the various electronic means of voting were positively received. We will consider the commission's evaluation carefully before making decisions on the future use of postal voting and e-voting in elections.
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My Lords, without anticipating the report of the Electoral Commission, the immediate good news is that the electronic voting methods worked—in other words, there were no mechanical or electronic breakdowns. We very much hope that the Electoral Commission will find that they increased voter participation.

House of Lords debate Postal Ballots 30 May 2002

My Lords, there have been allegations that widespread postal voting makes it easier to cheat. Those allegations were made in this House last week. I understand that the issue that the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, raised then has been reported to the police, who are investigating. I cannot see how e-voting methods would increase the possibility of personation.

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