Voter Fraud in the UK

[wilts rover]

Why are the Tory Party sending out Postal Voting Forms to electors asking for those forms to be returned to them and not the local Council Returning Officer?

So much for photo ID stopping voter fraud eh?

https://twitter.com/markdpryan/status/1637165173734612999

[Colemans Left Hook]

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/

The Elections Act 2022 has introduced the requirement to show photo ID at UK Parliamentary elections, police and crime commissioner elections and at local elections in England. This briefing looks at the background to voter ID in the UK.

[ncRover]

Tweet deleted makes it very questionable

[BillyStubbsTears]

It's not deleted.

[ncRover]

Oh when I saw the tweet but it said “uh-oh there’s been an error” like it does when you click on a deleted tweet. But it’s gone now

[ncRover]

Hasn’t been reported on by any mainstream news and the account seems to be a dedicated Tory-basher hmm

Kind of thing a conspiracy theorist Trump supporter gets enraged about this.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It IS a fact though that the Electoral Commission strongly discourage this.

It's fine for political parties to encourage people to vote by post. But the EC's written guidance is that the votes should be sent DIRECTLY to the Electoral Registration Office, not to a political party. Precisely to avoid suspicion being cast on the process.

I suspect the reason this local Tory party is doing this is not to destroy votes. They want to know who has voted already so they can be more efficient on their door knocking operation on election day.

But in an atmosphere where THEIR party whipping up the issue of vote fraud, it is very, very naughty to say the least.

[SydneyRover]

''The commission noted its displeasure in its response, which read: “We have been in touch with the political party in question to ask them to remind their candidates they should ensure that the local Electoral Registration Officer’s address is clearly provided as the preferred address for the return of registration and absent vote application forms.

“We will also be reminding other political parties in the same way and will be monitoring adherence to the Code.”

Howdle said he was concerned that Mundell’s office was likely to know how anyone who responded would vote.

“This is a fishing expedition because the envelope is addressed to the Mundell party headquarters,” he told The National.

“It doesn’t say what’s in it so they’ve got to open it to find out it’s an application for a postal vote ... but it also gives them access to that person’s personal data.

“What are they using this information for?”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Tories said: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”''

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18973501.electoral-commission-warn-oliver-mundell-msp-postal-vote-fishing/

Looks like a legitimate enquiry that was taken seriously by the Electoral Commission, so actually not a:

''Kind of thing a conspiracy theorist Trump supporter gets enraged about this''

at all

[wilts rover]

The link in my first tweet referenced a person asking if it was legal that another tweeter had received a Postal Vote application form to be returned back to the local Tory Party. This is that tweet, still up:

https://twitter.com/markdpryan/status/1637165173734612999

I suppose tho if you don't want to look - you wont find it. The practice appears to be happening across several areas in East Anglia (including Harpenden where the original tweeter had received one). From a local resident:

New revelations appear to confirm that councils may be ignoring systematic breaches of guidelines on postal votes by local Conservative parties across the east.

EAB revealed on Monday (20 March) that, in encouraging registration for postal voting for the forthcoming local elections, many local Tory parties appeared to have doctored the form to ask about support for the Tory party, and also include a pre-addressed envelope for delivery to the party, rather than the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).

The local Tory parties in our region identified in the first story are West Suffolk, Norwich, and Hitchin and Harpenden. Since then, there have been claims that the practice is also being used in Broadland and North Norfolk.

But in spite of evidence that the guidelines may be ignored, one council at the heart of the row declines to act. EAB approached the ERO at North Hertfordshire Council with a series of questions about the campaigning of Hitchin and Harpenden Conservatives, who are within their district.

Their attention was drawn to what appeared to be potential breaches in the code of behaviour, in particular in appearing to doctor the postal vote application form and the inclusion of the pre-addressed envelope. But the council would make no judgement, and only advised: “Please contact the Conservative Party for comment”.

https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/postal-vote-breaches-ignored-by-council/
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/tory-postal-vote-dirty-tricks/

Plenty of evidence out there for this, perfectly legal, practice of sending Postal Voting Forms to a Political Party (all Tory) happening. And no evidence anywhere of the Tory Party saying it isn't happening.

The party who let people not registered to vote, nor even residents of this country, vote in its leadership election.

Good to know they are concerned about 'voter fraud' tho.

[wilts rover]

Electoral Commission now looking into the legality of this. Sory in The Independent:

https://inews.co.uk/news/electoral-commission-doubts-postal-vote-applications-legal-conservatives-2232318

I am sure there is some very good reason why the Tory supporting papers/tv stations are not covering this but I can't put my finger on it just now...

[SydneyRover]

The tories are starting to look a bit republican.

[BillyStubbsTears]

More out and out voting fraud from the Tory party
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/1651134017587036160?s=20

Absolute bunch of shites, using this to suppress Labour votes. If you vote for them, do so in the full knowledge of what kind of anti-democratic bas**rds you are siding with.

[Bentley Bullet]

The biggest suppresser of the Labour vote is the Labour Party itself.