ELECTION FRAUD: LIBDEMS WELCOME REPORT, CRITICISE TORIES (Woking Liberal Democrats)

Woking Liberal Democrats <info@wokinglibdems.org.uk>

ELECTION FRAUD: LIBDEMS WELCOME REPORT, CRITICISE TORIES

December 9, 2005 9:00 AM

In a Statement welcoming the Report of the Elections and Electoral Registration Panel to Woking Borough Council for its meeting on 15th December, Cllrs Sue Smith and Philip Goldenberg, LibDem Group Leader and Deputy Leader, said:

"This Report addresses serious issues which go to the heart of the democratic process in Woking.

"As Panel Members, we were horrified at the scale of the abuse that has occurred, and the inadequacy to date of the response.

"The Crown Prosecution Service formally concluded, in relation to Woking's 2004 elections, that 'There is little doubt that a number of false votes from fictitious people have been tendered', while concluding that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any individual.

"The local Police were stymied from investigating electoral offences in 2005 because the marked electoral register went missing. This may well not have been entirely coincidental.

"The Panel has conducted a rigorous examination of the Borough's electoral registration and election management processes. We hope that the implementation of its recommendations will significantly reduce the incidence of electoral fraud and malpractice in the future.

"In particular, it is of crucial importance that the Council, and the Police, work pro-actively pro actively, under the 2005 guidance on Electoral Fraud from the Electoral Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers, to ensure that, in the run-up to the 2006 local elections, potential problems are addressed when they can still be prevented, rather than vainly attempting to shut the stable door after the proverbial horse has bolted.

"And one final point. In the Borough Council meeting last July which established the Panel, Woking Tories tried every device they could to strangle it at birth, or to take control of it on a one-Party basis. It is profoundly in the public interest that they failed. Looking at the Panel Report, they should now publicly apologise for their behaviour that night."