ELECTORAL WATCHDOG SLAMS LABOUR OVER POSTAL VOTE BREACH

ELECTORAL WATCHDOG SLAMS LABOUR OVER POSTAL VOTE BREACH

DELAY MUST NOT BE REPEATED

In a damning report into the Glasgow North East by-election, the Electoral
Commission has confirmed that Labour broke election rules by hording
postal vote applications for nearly four weeks longer than allowed.

The report:
- confirms that Labour horded some postal vote applications for nearly
four weeks after the two days allowed
- condemns Labour's decision not to call the by-election for 116 days
- confirms one in twenty postal ballots were rejected.

The Commission report states:

“An established political party did not comply with the agreed code of
conduct for handling postal vote applications, which could have had a
detrimental impact on some voters.”

The report also confirms that Strathclyde Police are still investigating a
case of personation, where people allegedly tried to vote in the names of
persons who were marked as already having voted on the electoral register.

The SNP will be writing to all Returning Officers to ensure strict
attention is paid to postal vote applications in the upcoming General
Election.

SNP MP and Campaign Co-ordinator Stewart Hosie said:

“This is a damning report for Labour. It is almost beyond belief that a
major political party would so blatantly breach the code of conduct on
postal voting. Labour needs to explain why they held on to postal vote
applications beyond the two working days allowed. Indeed, why they did not
submit some of them for almost a month.

"It is deeply troubling that so many postal ballots were rejected because
signatures and dates of birth did not match the applications.

“In fact the approach Labour took to the whole by-election is in question
following this report.

“The people of Glasgow North East were left without an MP for an
astonishing 142 days because of the shocking arrogance of the Labour Party
who put their electoral convenience ahead of the needs of the local
community.

“Any future Government must heed this warning.

“The SNP will continue to push for timely elections so this situation is
never replicated.”