Councils pressured to count votes on General Election night

Jan 20 2010 by Will Green, The Journal

PRESSURE is growing for councils to count votes on General Election night after the Speaker of the Commons called for “instant” democracy.

John Bercow said it was “not beyond the wit” of authorities to count votes immediately as a row sparked by a Journal interview with Regional Minister Nick Brown about the risk of election fraud rumbled on.

Mr Brown – also the Government’s Chief Whip – claimed the risk of electoral fraud was “obvious” if counts took place the day after the General Election, which is expected in either March or May.

In unprecedented comments, the Newcastle MP even claimed the Liberal Democrat-run city council in Newcastle could not be trusted with ballot boxes overnight. Lib Dem council chiefs hit back at the “vile” accusations, and said votes would be kept under lock and key.

The row last week reached Parliament, with senior Labour spokesman Sir George Young and Commons Speaker Harriet Harman both backing election night counts.

And now Mr Bercow has expressed concern about the security of ballot boxes left overnight after a Conservative MP raised the issues with him in the Commons.

Julian Lewis, who represents the New Forest East constituency in Hampshire, said: “You will remember that during last Thursday’s business questions there was strong and welcome agreement between the Leader of the House and her shadow that when the General Election is held, the votes should be counted on the night and not the following day, unless that is absolutely unavoidable.

“Is it in order to ask you to express your definitive viewpoint on the matter?”