Typed on a slightly dodgy keyboard into Arcturus
I have received a useful reply from the Electoral Commission. You may remember that I wished to vote in the recent election without showing my face (http://wwmm.ch.cam.ac.uk/blogs/murrayrust/?p=2331 ), was requested to do so and was unclear whether this is legal. The Commission have made it clear that there is no law defining this and so it appears that some Presiding officers may be given one set of guidance and others other.
I’d like to congratulate all concerned – the Presiding Officer who was firm but courteous, the Commission for their speedy reply, and WhatDoTheyKnow (links at bottom) for this wonderful service. My question was a serious one and I hope the answer in WDTK can help others as being a definitive one. (Does WDTK have a method for highlighting general questions that may be of fairly widespread interest?)
And since we are not having an election for 5 years, but we are having a referendum, the bear knows when it has to come out.
James Pack
Electoral Commission
12 May 2010
Dear Mr. Murray-Rust,
Thank you for your query regarding your experience on polling day.
The Electoral Commission give no guidance on the subject of voters wearing clothes that cover their face. Our guidance simply states that the polling station staff should ‘Greet electors, ask them to confirm their name and address, and make sure that they are eligible to vote’.
This guidance is derived from the current legislation on the process for the issue of a ballot paper. The Electoral Commission is not responsible for the writing of that legislation or the debate and agreement to the legislation as that is a matter for the Ministry of Justice and the UK Parliament respectively. The Electoral Commission gives guidance on the interpretation of that legislation.
The Commission does review the current legislation and gives recommendations for legislative change. Our view on this subject is that the Commission has not ruled out the possibility of introducing measures requiring voters in Great Britain to provide identification at the polling station. However, we believe that the introduction of a system of individual electoral registration with personal identifiers in Great Britain should be prioritised in order to provide a more secure foundation for the electoral system.
Regards,
James Pack, AEA (Cert)
Senior Adviser (Electoral Guidance and Events)
The Electoral Commission
Trevelyan House
Great Peter Street
London SW1P 2HW
Tel: 020 7271 0564
Fax: 020 7271 0505
Textphone: 18001 020 7271 0571
www.electoralcommission.org.uk
www.aboutmyvote.co.uk