Britannia Radio

The Irish referendum was a travesty

=======================================

Thursday, 15 March 2012

Fears over 'large scale fraud' with postal voting

To the Returning Officer, Bradford West by-election

I am writing to you about my fears that this by-election may be corrupted by large-scale fraud and the illegal acquisition of votes.

As you know, some 10,000 electors have been registered for postal votes in this election. As you will also know the majority of these voters have been signed up for postal votes by activists in the major political parties. This is done to make it easier to ensure their “core” voters cast their votes in elections. It is possible that this encouragement is done legally, but it is a system also wide open to illegal pressure and other fraudulent practices.

I have witnessed this large-scale corruption of the electoral process in Tower Hamlets where I was MP for five years. And we have seen a number of individuals jailed with long sentences over the last few years, including here in Bradford for voting fraud.

In my understanding postal vote fraud may take place in any of four ways. Firstly, voters who don’t live here or who have died or who may never have existed may be registered to vote. Secondly, votes may be redirected to other addresses where they are then cast by other people. Thirdly, blank ballot papers may be collected by “friends and family” and then filled in by other people. Fourthly, voters may be intimidated into voting for particular candidates through the loss of the secrecy of the ballot box.

I have campaigned for the last 8 years on this issue but, despite some modest tightening up of the system, it remains wide open to fraud, especially of the fourth kind which is so difficult to prove. That is why I remain vehemently opposed to the postal voting system on demand. Sadly it is of such benefit to the major political parties, nothing has been done to change this flawed system.

I am particularly concerned about fraud in the Bradford West by-election because the election is likely to be very close and it is in these circumstances that corruption most often occurs. I am writing to you today to ask what measures you are taking to inform voters of their rights and obligations and of the penalties for fraudulently casting votes in elections and what steps are being taken by you, in conjunction with the police, to monitor the situation and encourage reporting of any suspected corrupt practice.

Yours faithfully

George Galloway

Respect candidate in the Bradford West by-election