More problems with the general election administration have come to light in Wolverhampton South West, with the news that one of the marked registers has gone missing. An investigation is already taking place into a mismatch between the number of ballot papers counted and the number issued, with more having been recorded as counted than were officially issued.
According to the official election results, Wolverhampton South West saw more votes cast than there had been ballot papers issued.
At the count there were 40,160 votes totalled up in the general election in May. However, the official records show that only 40,094 ballot papers should have been in the count, 66 less than the number of votes counted. This is not a simple matter …
Two illegal donations totalling £101,500 dating back to 2004 and 2006 have been forfeited by the Conservative Party.
David Mundell MP (Conservative) is taking to the courts to apply for official relief for breaking his election expense limit during the general election.
A quick update on our previous coverage of the court case over more than £350,000 of impermissible donations accepted by UKIP. Last month the Supreme Court ruled in UKIP’s favour, reducing the amount UKIP has to repay to just under £15,000.
Confidence in the administration of elections by Bristol Council was badly shaken this May after a series of problems, including ballot papers found in the wrong place and numerous phone calls going unanswered. A detailed review of electoral administration was subsequently ordered and it has called for major changes.
The result of the election recount for High Street ward in Waltham Forest is now expected to be announced early in September.
The recount took place in private last Friday before a judge at the High Court after a member of the public spotted a potential error at the original count on May 6. It was thought that 1,000 votes may have been mistakenly added to each of the Labour candidates’ tallies.
A recount of the May 6 election result in High Street Ward, London Borough of Waltham Forest, is due to begin today.
From the Waltham Forest Guardian:
The Liberal Democrats applied to the High Court to have the ballot boxes re-opened after a member of the public spotted a potential error.
It is possible that the Labour candidates had been mistakenly given 1,000 extra block votes.
This may have led to Steve Terry being elected instead of Liberal Democrat Mahmood Hussain. …
The Londonist reports that Joan Ruddock, the Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford, has taken the unusual step of submitting her election expenses return without attaching any invoices or receipts, instead listing all expenses as “notional”.
The wording of the question that voters will be asked in next May’s AV referendum has been published:
Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the ‘alternative vote’ system instead of the current ‘first past the post’ system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?
The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has published a report, Beyond 2010: the future of electoral administration in the UK, reviewing the workings of the electoral system in this year’s May elections and calling for major changes to be introduced.
The report repeats previous calls for the laws governing elections to be made simpler and codified into one act, rather than as at present scattered across numerous different acts. The AEA is also calling for a review of the way that …
Channel 4′s investigation with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism into MPs’ election expenses has raised questions about another five MPs in addition to Zac Goldsmith.
Having already looked at some of the legal questions around Zac Goldsmith, how do the other five stack up?
A written answer this week confirmed that Britain’s quota of MEPs is about to increase by one.
Having reviewed a complaint made about Zac Goldsmith’s election expenses (the ones that didn’t feature in that TV spat), the Electoral Commission has decided there’s a strong enough case to warrant investigation by them.
A High Court judge has ruled that an election court should sit in the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency on 13 September, to decide whether Phil Woolas can continue as an MP.
