03 March 2006
Falsely applying for a postal or proxy vote will become a criminal offence under plans designed to crack down on electoral fraud.
Under provisions contained in the Electoral Administration Bill, supplying an electoral registration officer with false or incomplete information will also become a criminal offence, while the time police can take to investigate cases of electoral fraud will be increased from one to two years.
Other changes include new secrecy warnings on postal and proxy voting papers and the addition of security codes and barcodes to enable quick security checks.
In a change to be introduced ahead of the local elections in May, electoral administrators will also be given new powers to check signatures on postal vote applications against other signatures the council might hold, while applicants will have to justify why they want their postal vote sent to an alternative address.
The measures address many of the problems highlighted by the postal vote scandal in the Birmingham local elections in 2004, which resulted in six Labour members stepping down from the council.
Elections minister Harriet Harman said: 'Everyone in every community in any part of the country is entitled to their vote and to know that their vote is counted as they cast it.
'Electoral fraud is extremely rare. But fraud in any area, in any election, national or local, is a problem because it undermines confidence.'
Harman paid tribute to Richard Mawrey QC, whose judgment on the Birmingham case exposed many of the weaknesses the government is now addressing.
PFmar2006
