Watchdog to study case for voter ID
The elections watchdog is to study the case for requiring voters to produce identification at polling stations amid continued concerns about electoral fraud.
The Electoral Commission said it was "disappointed" the Government had not acted on its long-standing calls for a review into the area and had decided to conduct one itself.
The review was announced as the watchdog published its reports on this May's local elections, in which it highlighted voters' concerns about the potential for fraud.
Allegations of fraud in London's Tower Hamlets are under investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Post-election polling found that about a third of voters felt that fraud had taken place in the May 3 elections, at least "a little".
The Government is introducing individual electoral registration to tighten up the voting process. The Electoral Commission said it would be reviewing processes after the introduction of individual registration to see whether further changes are necessary.
Electoral Commission chair Jenny Watson said: "Electoral fraud can involve serious criminal offences and has the potential to damage public confidence in our elections. That's why we're pleased the Government has introduced legislation to tighten up voter registration.
"But more needs to be done and we're disappointed that the Government has not taken forward our recommendation to review the case for ID at polling stations. We will now carry out this review ourselves."
In its reports, the Electoral Commission said the May elections - for the Mayor of London, London Assembly, English councils and local mayors - had gone largely smoothly, with polling showing 89% of voters saying they were well run.
But the watchdog highlighted problems with the count in London, arising from failures in the new electronic counting system, which led to delays in the results being announced.
Ms Watson added: "Problems encountered at the count must be addressed to prevent them occurring at future elections. We'll be asking the Greater London Returning Officer to thoroughly review the evidence in our report to make sure this happens."
