Individual Electoral Registration – changes voting registration

eebyegum · 12 August 2014 at 8:13PM

i would like to know what will happen to me if i refuse to disclose my date of birth and NI number. both of which i feel uneasy about handing out just to vote (something i dont do anyway).

thanks for any replies..

GingerBob_3 · 12 August 2014 at 8:56PM

eebyegum wrote: »

i would like to know what will happen to me if i refuse to disclose my date of birth and NI number. both of which i feel uneasy about handing out just to vote (something i dont do anyway).

thanks for any replies..

Probably nothing. The rate of non registration is going to soar as a result of this misguided initiative.

Electoral_Commission · 14 August 2014 at 10:45AM

usefulmale wrote: »

My national insurance number is given to my employer, government departments who hand out benefits and HMRC to administer tax. I am not handing it over to register to vote.

Anyhow, an NI number does not prove eligibility to vote. Is it not possible for, say, an american citizen over here to be issued a NI number for work done here? That person should not be allowed to vote, yet it seems that they can now have an illegal vote.

Hi usefulmale,

Under the new system people need to provide a few more details about themselves to register – these are date of birth and National Insurance number. These details are checked against government records to verify the person’s identity. This is intended to make the system more secure. Where these details cannot be provided local electoral registration staff are likely to contact you to ask you for proof of identity. Although most people in the UK have a national insurance number, having a national insurance number does not necessarily mean a person can register to vote, it is just used to verify a person’s identity. American citizens residing in the UK remain ineligible to register to vote and vote in UK elections. If an American citizen residing in the UK were to provide false information for the purpose of managing the electoral register, they would be subject to a fine of £5,000.

Thanks,

Electoral Commission

Electoral_Commission · 14 August 2014 at 10:51AM

Nasqueron wrote: »

Given all this extra wonderful security can we do something about the fact that we vote by going along (even without the card for the upcoming Police commissionaire one I have, not sure about others) and saying your name and address is sufficient to vote - what if I get there and someone said they were me already - how do I vote or if I prove my ID, how do you discount the vote?

Also, why do your people insist on recording the name of the person alongside the voting slip number meaning you can trace a vote to a person should you wish?

Hi Nasqueron,

It is correct that in the majority of circumstances a poll card is not required to vote, and that a person must confirm their name and address.

The Commission considered views on a number of options to tighten the electoral system against fraud and we have published a final report which can be accessed by searching for 'Electoral Fraud Final Report' (unfortunately, we can't post links on the forum).

One of our recommendations in our Fraud report is for ID to be introduced at polling stations. In our report we say that we are going to undertake detailed research this year and by the end of 2014, and we will publish our proposals. The proposals will include our position on the forms of ID that should be acceptable.

If an elector appears to have already voted, the polling station staff must ask certain prescribed questions of that person. If these are satisfactorily answered, a tendered ballot paper will be issued. If not, the matter may be referred to the police as it is a criminal offence to vote as another person.

It is a requirement of the election rules that the elector number is written against the number of the ballot papers issued to a particular elector on the corresponding number list (CNL). The CNL acts as a buffer between the Register of Electors, (which contains your personal details) and your ballot paper (which obviously contains information on how you voted) and all 3 would be required to ascertain how any individual voted. All 3 sources of information are sealed away separately and stored securely for a year after the election. If there was an allegation of electoral fraud the police would need to obtain a court order to unseal the documents and carry out an investigation. The system is a balance between the need to keep your vote secret and the need to be able to investigate, detect and prevent electoral fraud if required.

Thanks,

Electoral Commission

Electoral_Commission · 14 August 2014 at 10:55AM

laughingboy wrote: »

I recently re-registered on the electoral roll using the online application.

A nice chap at the local council told me I would go onto the electoral roll on the 1st August (I applied near the end of June)

However I have just got a copy of my credit report and it says I am still not on the electoral roll. When will it show up on my credit report?

Thanks

Hi laughingboy,

You should contact the Electoral Registration Officer at your local authority to clarify whether your details have been included on the electoral register. If your details have been included on the register, credit reference agencies would have received notice of this. If your credit reference agency have yet to amend their records you will need to take this up with the agency directly.

Hope that helps.

Thanks,

Electoral Commission

GingerBob_3 · 14 August 2014 at 12:07PM

Electoral_Commission wrote: »

Hi Nasqueron,

It is correct that in the majority of circumstances a poll card is not required to vote, and that a person must confirm their name and address.

The Commission considered views on a number of options to tighten the electoral system against fraud and we have published a final report which can be accessed by searching for 'Electoral Fraud Final Report' (unfortunately, we can't post links on the forum).

One of our recommendations in our Fraud report is for ID to be introduced at polling stations. In our report we say that we are going to undertake detailed research this year and by the end of 2014, and we will publish our proposals. The proposals will include our position on the forms of ID that should be acceptable.

If an elector appears to have already voted, the polling station staff must ask certain prescribed questions of that person. If these are satisfactorily answered, a tendered ballot paper will be issued. If not, the matter may be referred to the police as it is a criminal offence to vote as another person.

It is a requirement of the election rules that the elector number is written against the number of the ballot papers issued to a particular elector on the corresponding number list (CNL). The CNL acts as a buffer between the Register of Electors, (which contains your personal details) and your ballot paper (which obviously contains information on how you voted) and all 3 would be required to ascertain how any individual voted. All 3 sources of information are sealed away separately and stored securely for a year after the election. If there was an allegation of electoral fraud the police would need to obtain a court order to unseal the documents and carry out an investigation. The system is a balance between the need to keep your vote secret and the need to be able to investigate, detect and prevent electoral fraud if required.

Thanks,

Electoral Commission

Please point me to the research which shows that fraud at the polling station is a problem.

Nick_C · 14 August 2014 at 3:13PM

GingerBob wrote: »

Please point me to the research which shows that fraud at the polling station is a problem.

A quick Google search will lead you to

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/164609/Electoral-fraud-review-final-report.pdf

Nasqueron · 14 August 2014 at 3:32PM

GingerBob wrote: »

Please point me to the research which shows that fraud at the polling station is a problem.

There's been plenty of dodgy stuff about false postal vote registration and ballot box stuffing going on and I'm sure there is unreported stuff. I would rather show an ID to prove who I am and that I am entitled to vote rather than people just wandering in and doing it. There are also stories in the press about people sitting tests for other people or those turning up in a full face veil you've got no idea who the person is (like that guy who escaped a TPim order hiding in a burkha!) - whether for a test or voting

Electoral fraud in 2014 covering 16 areas:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/23/police-open-inquiries-allegations-electoral-fraud-uk

False voting in Bradford in 2010

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/06/men-jailed-attempted-postal-vote-fraud

More of a general review from 2013

http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=1870

Burkha story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24886807

GingerBob_3 · 14 August 2014 at 4:01PM

Nick_C wrote: »

A quick Google search will lead you to

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/164609/Electoral-fraud-review-final-report.pdf

I looked at that. There's no academic research whatsoever in the document. It's really just a massive opinion piece.

GingerBob_3 · 14 August 2014 at 4:08PM

Nasqueron wrote: »

There's been plenty of dodgy stuff about false postal vote registration and ballot box stuffing going on and I'm sure there is unreported stuff. I would rather show an ID to prove who I am and that I am entitled to vote rather than people just wandering in and doing it. There are also stories in the press about people sitting tests for other people or those turning up in a full face veil you've got no idea who the person is (like that guy who escaped a TPim order hiding in a burkha!) - whether for a test or voting

Electoral fraud in 2014 covering 16 areas:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/23/police-open-inquiries-allegations-electoral-fraud-uk

False voting in Bradford in 2010

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/06/men-jailed-attempted-postal-vote-fraud

More of a general review from 2013

http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=1870

Burkha story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24886807

Not sure what the Burkha story has to do with it. The rest are concerned with postal vote fraud. It's interesting that the big relaxation on postal voting, which has led to this fraud, was brought about by and large by the Electoral Commission. This fraud is nothing to do with imposters turning up at the polling station, the instances of which, I suspect, are vanishingly small in number.

So the EC, having screwed up big time with postal voting, now want to introduce the Northern Ireland model into the rest of the UK. They want to do this to solve a problem that they caused, but which affects a different element of the process. I wouldn't pay them in washers!

Individual Electoral Registration – changes voting registration

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