III. ABSENT VOTING

OBJECTIVE:

·  To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Absent Vote (AV) procedure.

ACTION:

·  The introduction of bar-coded AV application forms and declarations of identity, and, eventually, automated processing of AV applications and declarations.

·  The requirement to provide a signature and confirmation of date of birth on AV applications and declarations.

TIMING:

·  Bar-coded AV application forms will be available as soon as possible after the passing of legislation.

·  The introduction of automated AV processing will be possible from the installation of the necessary IT capacity scheduled for introduction in 2002.

Background

  20.  It is an established practice that voters may exercise their franchise even when they are unable to attend the poll in person. A voter who is incapacitated may apply for a postal vote or may appoint a proxy, either for a specific election or on a permanent basis. The proportion of voters applying for and using absent votes has been much higher in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK.[4]

  21.  Absent voting practices have, unfortunately, become an opportunity for electoral fraud by some, particularly because there is a less stringent requirement to prove one's identity when applying for an absent vote than there is at the ballot box. Consequently, it is possible to defraud the Electoral Office into supplying postal ballot papers or a proxy notice to an unauthorised person without raising suspicions.

  22.  There are already procedures in place to check the authenticity of AV applications. The Electoral Office sends a notice to every relevant person to inform him or her that their proxy has been appointed - this alerts people for whom the application has been made fraudulently. The requirement to provide additional identifiers at registration and on any subsequent application will go some way to helping in this effort to authenticate applications. The extension of investigations into applications for absent votes will also be important.

  23.  However, all attempts to counter abuse of the AV system are restricted by the requirements of election timing and the additional problem of volume. Between the calling of a general election and the polling day, there need be only 17 working days. In this short space of time, voters wanting a one-off absent vote must request, receive, complete and return an application form, and the Electoral Office has to process thousands of such forms. Under such pressures, legitimate applications often have to be rejected at too late a date to submit another application and fraudulent applications slip through unnoticed. Even though the procedures have been improved since the last general election, in particular by extending the time given for the Electoral Office to process applications after the deadline for delivery, there are still means of helping the Electoral Office improve this service.

The Solution

  24.  The Government intends to encourage everything that would allow the most efficient processing of AV applications. In particular, applications for an absent vote and declarations of identity, which are returned with the postal ballot paper, will be given a serial number. These forms may also be bar-coded for automated accounting purposes. By redesigning AV application forms and declarations, and introducing the necessary technology, including optical character recognition systems, automated processing of absent votes will be possible. Additional speed will allow more time for investigations into questionable applications. Although voters will not be required to submit their application on an original form obtained from the Electoral Office, it will be the norm. Where applications are made on photocopied forms, the pattern of photocopying may allow some further investigation into questionable applications.

  25.  Both applications and declarations will require the voter to provide a signature and date of birth. These data can be compared to those on the register. Automated processing will allow the Electoral Office to make simultaneous checks against the register; declarations and applications that do not provide sufficient or correct information, as far as the Electoral Office knows, can be identified and rejected immediately.

Conclusion

  26.  The removal of political activity from the administration of the AV scheme is the aim of this policy. Just as the removal of party workers from the registration exercise ensured a greater accuracy of the register and reduced the potential for fraud, so too the ending of party involvement in absent voting processes can only be to the voters' benefit. There should be no fear that an unmanageable burden will therefore fall upon the Electoral Office, since the process will be increasingly automated.