There is a lot of debate in the media that the UK performs poorly when it comes to issues like electoral integrity. Moreover, it is lagging behind its European neighbors, especially Scandinavia. The voter registration process is being questioned by the media and public. The issues of electoral malpractice become more evident over the years. Since 2010 the House of Commons Library has been briefing on voter registration fraud among many. The Electoral Commission and Association of Police Officers have given warnings as the cases of fraud never seem to end.
There is a warning for the potential ‘ethnic kinship’ voting, especially among the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. The higher authorities among the labor party members are targeting this vulnerable community to maintain their position. Sir Eric Pickles is a champion of the Government’s Anti-Corruption. After reviewing such frauds, he planned to give out recommendations to solve them.
Electoral Frauds Growing in The UK
Electoral frauds are a growing phenomenon in the UK. In the 2015 elections, many technical glitches were reported. Surprisingly, the electoral roll and distribution of cards led to false registration of candidates. On the polling day, many people were hired to vote for a certain MP. One person could multiple times. When investigated it was reported as a printing error. Bournemouth Council used more than 100 people from the Bangladesh and Pakistani communities in their favor. Around 25,000 ballot papers went missing and the names of the candidates were changed accordingly.
The Electoral Commission came into the picture and investigated these wrongdoings. Moreover, the Metropolitan Police also received complaints. Around 18 allegations on the polling day itself became one of the biggest issues. The High Court suspended the Mayor, Lutfur Rahman as he was found guilty of having false registration of candidates during the election.
Moreover, he and his associates were putting undue pressure on innocent people to cast votes for them. The name of the UKIP candidate was also missing on the ballot papers. Scottish Tory party leader shared some valuable tweets. He claimed voter intimidation in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweeddale. Due to these stories, the general public is losing their confidence in the democracy.
Alleged Voter Registration Frauds
The procedures used for voter registration during elections are becoming a major problem. According to the survey of James-Clark, the electoral registers need some attention. The polling stations turn away those who don’t have their name registered at the polling station. However, the information that was filled in the electoral register was for the people hired by the Labor Party.
The Conservative Government has come up with a plan to counterattack the voter fraud. They have introduced individual voter registers along with household registration. It will turn out to be a better secure system against voter registration fraud. However, the Labor Party is trying to employ various students and ethnic minorities to vote in their favor.
A few months ago, the electoral commission removed around 770,00 names that were added without any registration. There can be a penalty for proving wrong or no information about the candidate. The electoral registration officer must come up with the right details to stop unfair votes going to only one MP.
Dirtiest UK Elections Ever Pose a Threat to Democracy
Dirty tricks are featured in election campaigns more than ever. During the 2019 elections, a lot of reports were coming in about the false registration of voters. Most of the people who are voting for a particular MP are given a lot of incentives. Sometimes more than one person is voting while the registration record is showing wrong information regarding them.
There are some strict allegations against the Labor Party for tampering with the election votes. Moreover, they are publishing dodgy pamphlets and using tricks to make their campaigns successful. Rasmus Klein Nielsen the director of the Oxford Reuters Institute talked to CNN where he revealed:
With just over 24 hours until polls open, things could get even worse. “We’ll probably see some more of this over the next two days because the stakes are so high,” said Andrew Chadwick, director of the Online Civic Culture Center at Loughborough University. “It is the worst that I’ve seen, and I’ve been studying the internet and politics for 20 years.”