Observations
Paragraph 78: In their evaluation of the June
combined elections the Electoral Commission evaluate the provision
of home assistance considering demand, user perceptions, and the
resource impact on local authorities.
The Commission has published a detailed evaluation
framework that requires returning officers to provide information
on the provision of home visits. We will report on any information
we receive, either from returning officers or from SCOPE, our
access evaluators, in our overarching report.
Paragraph 84: We recommend that the Government
introduce tighter regulations on the design of electoral materials…[which]...
should be informed by the Electoral Commission's evaluation of
the June elections, including user feedback.
The Commission has contracted SCOPE, who provided
evidence to the Committee, to conduct an access evaluation of
the June all-postal pilots. This evaluation process, as outlined
in our evaluation framework, will examine how and if the design
of the voting materials met recognised standards for accessible
public information and the Commission's own guidance on equal
access to electoral procedures.
Paragraph 111: In order to monitor the performance
of the Royal Mail during an election, we recommend that the Government
introduces seeded electoral papers. The Electoral Commission should
include reference to the performance of the Royal Mail, based
on these seeded papers, in its evaluations of elections..…In
response to this report we recommend the Government outlines what
research it has conducted into the use of seeds; or other audit
processes to ensure the reliability and security of the Royal
Mail's handling of postal votes.
In May the Government approached the Commission to
ascertain our view on the use of seeds to test the reliability
of mail services. While the Commission agrees that some information
on the level of service delivered is vital to ensure public confidence
in postal voting, we do not believe that such exercises should
be undertaken by Government. The Commission would be happy to
take on this role if it was believed to be of use and if suitable
resources could be secured. We will cover this further in our
evaluation of the June 2004 pilots.
Paragraph 114: It is vital that the Government,
Electoral Commission and local authorities take steps, including
the use of the media, to ensure that all electors are aware of
the methods of voting in their area in each election.
In the run up to the 10 June elections, the Commission
undertook a comprehensive national voter awareness campaign. A
variety of communication methods were employed to raise public
awareness of the methods of voting. The geographical diversity
of the all-postal voting regions, and the late decision as to
which would be used, made it difficult to use advertising media
for this message. Instead the Commission distributed CDs to all
electoral services departments in Great Britain; these contained
templates for posters and press ads that could be adapted locally
and used as required, including all-postal voting versions. In
addition, the Commission used PR through local media outlets to
reinforce the all-postal message, as well as providing tailored
local information via the call centre and website. In any future
elections on this scale involving new voting methods, the Commission
would certainly consider using advertising media, if geographical
locations, timings and budgets allow. However, the evidence so
far available from our tracking research suggests that the methods
detailed above proved to be a good spread of information sources.
Paragraph 116: We recommend that if all-postal
voting is used in future elections, the Government and Electoral
Commission consider holding elections in June so that canvassing
can be done in lighter evenings, encouraging greater engagement
with the electorate.
The Commission has expressed no views to date in
relation to the possibility of a permanent move to June elections,
and has no plans to examine this issue specifically. However,
the Commission has previously expressed concern about dates of
fixed elections being moved, and the potential impact on voter
comprehension of combining elections. The Commission will examine
the impact on campaigning of all-postal voting arrangements as
part of its evaluation of the June pilots.
Paragraph 121: That the Commission, along with
the Government (in particular the Ministry of Defence) consider
the results of the electronic voting trial for military personnel
in the Unites States of America".
The Commission agrees with the Committee's suggestion
that every effort must be made to ensure that all electors who
wish to vote are able, including members of the armed forces.
We have noted the aims of the US SERVE (Secure Electronic Registration
and Voting Experiment) project in providing assistance for service
personnel and their families based overseas to vote using the
Internet, although we recognise that the project has now been
discontinued. The Commission continues to review the development
of electronic voting technology both in the UK and overseas, and
is represented on the Government's Electoral Modernisation Programme
Board, which is responsible for considering how best to take these
issues forward.
Clarification
In relation to the provision of polling progress
information, the Committee stated that they were "concerned
that the Electoral Commission are advising caution to those Returning
Officers who will be responsible for the provision of polling
progress information in the all-postal voting pilot areas in June.
The Government and the Electoral Commission must provide consistent
advice; we urge immediate clarification of the legal position
and human rights implications of the provision of polling progress
information".
The Commission made its views clear on the introduction
of polling progress information during the debate on the Pilots
Bill by the issue of a statement on 23 January 2004. However,
once the Pilots Act was passed we advised Returning Officers,
through our guidance and training material, to comply with the
provisions of section 2 and to provide polling progress information
to those persons and organisations specified in the Pilot Order.
