Gorton and Denton by-election saw ‘extremely high’ family voting cases, independent observers have said
The Gorton and Denton by-election returning officer has issued a statement following claims election law has been breached with ‘family voting’.
Independent election observers Democracy Volunteers said there was an ‘extremely high’ number of family voting incidents at the polls today (February 26), when family members enter a voting booth together and collude or direct voting intentions. It is a criminal offence in the UK under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.
Democracy Volunteers said it was the ‘highest levels’ of family voting they have observed in ten years, having visited 22 of the 45 polling stations in the Gorton and Denton constituency. John Ault, Director of Democracy, said: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton.
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“We rarely issue a report on the night of an election, but the data we have collected today on family voting, when compared to other recent by-elections, is extremely high.’”
In response, the acting returning officer running the by-election has hit back at the claims, asking why the group issued their statement after polls closed at 10pm and not sooner. They also said staff were not told of family voting issues on-the-ground.
A spokesperson for the acting returning officer said: “Polling station staff are trained to look out for any evidence of undue influence on voters. No such issues have been reported today.
“If Democracy Volunteers were so concerned about alleged issues they could and should have raised them with us during polling hours so that immediate action could be taken. We have operated a central by-election hub which has been rapidly responding to reported issues during the day, in liaison with the police – who had a presence at every polling station – where necessary.
“It is extremely disappointing that Democracy Volunteers have waited until after polls have closed to make such claims.”
The result of the by-election is expected to be declared in the early hours of Friday, February 27. Follow live results here.