Postal vote applications increase

Monday, 28 March 2005 12:00 AM

Record numbers of people are applying for postal votes for the forthcoming General Election, a survey has found.

A study by the Guardian newspaper of 55 councils, covering 135 constituencies, found applications to vote by post had risen significantly in some areas, particularly in inner cities.

The biggest increases in demand for postal voting were in Birmingham and Woking.

Across Birmingham's 11 constituencies, more than 53,000 people have applied to vote by post, compared with 16,000 at the last election. In Woking, 15,000 electors have asked to vote by post, compared with 2,356 in 2001.

The increase in applications for postal votes comes amid increasing calls for the system to be changed to counter fears of fraud.

A report by MPs last week said that as postal voting becomes more common, there is a "strong case" to tighten protection against fraud by requiring voters to register individually, rather than collectively as a household.

The latest research also comes days after a High Court judge condemned the current postal voting system as "an open invitation to fraud".

Presiding over a case into allegations of vote-rigging during last year's local elections in Birmingham, Judge Richard Mawrey QC concluded: "Someone who was so inclined could defraud the system."

The Guardian survey found that increases in applications to vote by post are highest in areas where allegations of fraud have previously been made.

Applications for postal votes are expected to increase further once the date of the election is announced.

The Electoral Commission has said that postal voting should remain part of the electoral process but must be reformed to prevent abuses.

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