Clause 43 - Marked postal voters list
Electoral Administration Bill
2:00 pm
Eleanor Laing (Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Scotland; Epping Forest, Conservative)
Clause 43 concerns the marked postal voters list. Rule 37 of the parliamentary election rules, contained in schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983, makes provision for the full electoral register to be marked at polling stations—as we discussed with the last amendment—to show whether an individual has been issued with a ballot paper. Obviously, that is done to prevent electors from voting more than once. Because people who vote are not allowed to remove ballot papers from the polling station, it can be assumed that if an elector's name has been marked on the register, that person has cast a vote. However, that is not the case with postal votes. There is an absent voters list of electors who have voted by post, which is drawn up by the returning officer, but when the ballot papers have been issued, that list is marked to indicate that the ballot papers have been sent out. However, there is no list to indicate whether postal votes have been returned.
Amendments Nos. 61 and 62 would ensure that the marked postal voters list is as comprehensive as possible by ensuring that it is marked not only when a postal vote has been returned, but when a person registers for a postal vote. The list will then be required separately to show electors who are registered for a postal vote and electors who have voted already by post. A BBC presenter made much of being denied a ballot paper because he was listed as having been sent a postal vote. If there were a more comprehensive list, it would clearly show who had cast a postal vote, enabling the electoral registration officer to see quickly whether someone is entitled to cast their vote in person. At present, there is no way to check that, and our amendments would rectify that.