Councillors look at postal votes before polls close

There has been widespread abuse of the new postal voting system by councillors who looked at completed ballot papers before the polls had closed.

The scandal, in numerous authorities, provides damning evidence that the postal voting system piloted in four regions for yesterday's local and European elections is flawed.

Speaking on Tuesday, two days before the polls closed, one senior North-west councillor said: "We've got a very good idea of what is happening because some ballot papers have been opened."

The source explained that postal votes were opened by officers before the official count so ballots for the European election could be separated from ballots for the local poll.

But councillors from "all parties" were present and able to see how people had voted.

The Pilots Order 2004, which legislated for the postal voting pilot, states that when postal votes are opened to be sorted, they should be kept face down at all times.

Housing Today has uncovered a weight of evidence showing these rules have been ignored.

The same councillor was able to predict the make-up of Newcastle, Liverpool and Hull councils based on voting patterns that had been detected by colleagues in those areas when ballot papers were opened.

Other councillors backed up this source's claims.

Carl Mimms, deputy leader of Hull's Liberal Democrat party, was able to make detailed predictions of the election results on Wednesday, saying the information came from "little bits we are picking up at the opening of the postal votes".

Councillor Simon Ashley, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Manchester, admitted: "You see the odd glance as they verify the ballot papers."

John Smithson, the deputy leader of Kirklees council, said: "We have not been to the opening [of the postal ballots] but I know other places have been. We have been very scrupulous."

The Electoral Commission has been informed of the abuse.

It is unable to take action because enforcing legislation is not in its remit but a spokeswoman said any evidence of abuse would be included in the commission's evaluation of the pilot.

The pilot has also been damaged by recent allegations that political parties have been intimidating voters and handling ballots, against Electoral Commission guidelines.

Chris Game, a senior local government lecturer at the University of Birmingham, said: "This behaviour saddens me. It goes against the traditions of democracy that we have spent hundreds of years developing.

"People will start to think the whole process is rather sordid."

The results of the local elections had not been announced as Housing Today went to press.