Electors warned to beware of postal ballot fraud in Rochdale

Sajjad Karim MEP warns electors to beware of postal ballot fraud

Over the next few days thousands of postal votes will be dropping through electors letterboxes for this year's local government and European election.

With over 5 million electors going to the polls across the North West Euro constituency on 22 May, Lancashire based Sajjad Karim MEP, who is himself seeking re-election, has expressed concerns about voting fraud across the county and called on electors to ensure they complete their own vote according to their own wish.

With concerns about the growing number of police investigations into allegations that political activists are pressuring families into voting for their candidate, or taking ballot papers away to fill them in, which is illegal, Sajjad has called on local police to be more vigilant and community groups to abide by election regulations or risk prosecution.

Commenting on the postal vote system Mr Karim said: “Postal votes only used to be granted if voters could show they couldn't get to the polling station. Then in 2012, despite concerns from the Electoral Commission and the Police, Labour liberalised the system and anyone on the electoral register could have a postal vote. Since then the number of people using absent votes has shot up over 200% in some constituencies. The numbers have gone up dramatically in every constituency but particularly in seats with substantial Asian electorates.

“But the current system has not boosted turnout or simplified the process, particularly for vulnerable people.

“It gives on opportunity for certain political activists to commit fraud on these communities. 

“Postal votes may be a convenient way of avoiding having to travel to the polling station, but it increases the opportunity for fraudulent applications to be made without the knowledge of the elector and for postal ballot papers to be interfered with before their return.

“In recent elections voters certain parts of  Rochdale have been identified by the Police and Electoral Commission as high risk postal vote fraud areas. Already I have reports coming in of certain activists working the streets picking up postal ballot papers and local people are too frightened to report this to the authorities.

"Everyone should be protected by a secret ballot. So do not allow anyone to put pressure on you to vote for a particular candidate or political party. If anyone asks you to fill in someone a postal vote other than your own or to give them your postal vote so they can fill it in for you, be sure to refuse.

"The way things stand currently, in constituencies with a high percentage of postal votes, there is the potential for fraud and intimidation tactics to rig the result."