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Marie
(2005 NCW Parliamentary Liason Officer)
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Is
postal voting in Parliamentary, European and local elections a good
thing?
Postal
voting is not new. It has
always been available on request if voters are in hospital or away on
business or on holiday. The
numbers voting at elections, particularly at local and European elections,
are not good. It has
often been suggested that with advances in technology we should move
from the system we have had for so many years – personal attendance at
a local polling station. Furthermore,
voters are demanding that they have a choice on how they cast their
vote. However, polling stations are firmly embedded in our notion
of democracy. They are safe,
secret and well controlled.
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For and against
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In favour of postal voting is that there is a public demand
for it and it will probably increase the number of people voting.
Against it is that once a ballot
paper is outside the polling station problems can arise and the potential
for fraud increases enormously. Many
examples of this were recorded at recent elections.
Political parties and dominant members of a household, among others,
were accused of putting pressure on voters.
Ballot papers went astray or were intercepted:
papers went to people who were deceived.
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