please empty your brain below
More postal votes solicited in Tower Hamlets? Surely the corruption and fraud has gone far enough?

Kim | 22.03.12 - 12:32 a.m. | #

So I agree with you except that I'm pretty sure (no evidence you understand) they're all as bad as each other at doing the same thing.

AC | 22.03.12 - 1:21 a.m. | #

Check with The Electoral Commission regarding whether this is legal. Similar things happened here in Australia in the 90's, instigated by our conservatives. The AEC were concerned for a number of reasons, the main one being the potential for fraud / corruption, etc. But (bear in mind that voting is compulsory here) there was concern that forms were not sent off from the campaign offices to the AEC in good time. many people only just received their postal votes in time to vote. Also, many assumed that they had by default registered for a permanent postal vote. When the Libs finally got kicked out of office (some of) their electorate offices went kaput too, taking all the paperwork. The issue then arose that people who thought they had permanently registered, and who kept getting postal vote forms sent to them, suddenly didn't get them any longer. The blamed the AEC, and in some cases, did not get the opportunity to vote. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters here did investigate this, but to the best of my knowledge it still happens, so it must have been considered legal.

Antipodean | 22.03.12 - 7:28 a.m. | #

Thanks for the warning. It's an outrage that anyone is allowed to collect up postal vote registrations in this way, let alone sail so close to the wind on data protection requirements. (This would explain why our local claque of Tory loudmouths were going on and on about electoral registration shenanigans in the pub over the last two weeks - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I suppose).

I suppose they're astute enough to have cleared it with the Electoral Commission and the Information Commissioner beforehand, but I'd be tempted to make a formal complaint about it, if only to tie the so-and-sos up in bureaucratic enquiries (something Conservative agents are very good at doing to their opponents, IME).

It really is Mr Toad vs Mr Newt, isn't it?

Autolycus | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 7:43 a.m. | #

Stick the free post envelope back in the post with a copy of another candidates election leaflets!

Michael Bater | 22.03.12 - 7:53 a.m. | #

"whether I'd like my voting form to be sent to a different address"

Whaaaat? Why?

I thought you could only vote from your registered address?

Political parties helping people obtain postal votes has been going on in the Counties for some years now.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 8:19 a.m. | #

For Sackborisers, there is some attraction in being added to the mailing list. Voter communication takes time and resources. Time spent communicating with someone who is determined never to vote for your candidate is time not spent potentially converting a floating voter.

Of course Direct mail shots to Sackborisers do not significantly waste Tory resources (email even less) but any form of campaigning with a person to person element becomes mistargeted as soon as the Tory target list gets "polluted" with anti-Tories.

Sign up, I say. Most of the info they want is on the Electoral Roll (which they already hold) anyway.

Peter | 22.03.12 - 8:20 a.m. | #

Isn't forwarding your data to the Electoral Registration Officer in your borough a breach of their own small print:

"Your data will not be sold or given to anyone not connected to the Conservative Party."

James | 22.03.12 - 8:46 a.m. | #

It's standard practice for parties to solicit and collect postal votes for taking to the Registration officer. There's no obligation to use them. They might also lay on a car to get you to the polling station if you're lucky!

You can also vote from another address - someone might be away from home in hospital, abroad on business but still eligible to vote.

Richard | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 8:52 a.m. | #

I've been told that the freepost envelope can be attached to anything you like, to be delivered at the recipient's expense. Old fridge, dead telly, dodgy mattress.....?

Gavin Baxter | 22.03.12 - 9:01 a.m. | #

Stop giving me ideas of dubious things to send Team Boris ;)

Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 9:24 a.m. | #

Having only recently managed to stop a deluge of emails from not only a mayoral candidate's campaign but also my constituency MP's headquarters and the relevant party's councillors in the borough next door to mine (poor targeting there!), all of which assumed that I was a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of the party in question, I would suggest you steer well clear of giving any personal details to politicians' electoral campaigns.
Actually, I think I got added to their mailing ist as a result of me writing to the MP on a constuency matter - which raises mnore data protection issues.

Timbo | 22.03.12 - 9:35 a.m. | #

So they've done nothing illegal, nothing wrong (encouraging people to vote) and have got proper T&Cs, yet you're upset because you don't like Boris?

Just want to get that straight ...

Jordan D | 22.03.12 - 9:49 a.m. | #

Nothing wrong, nothing illegal but typically underhand.

Ham | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 10:18 a.m. | #

A postal vote can also be sent a student's term-time address if they choose to vote in their home constituency, as they are still entitled to be treated as resident there.

Siwi | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 12:37 p.m. | #

But surely allowing postal votes to be sent to addresses all over the place just opens lots of opportunities for fraud? Sending the vote to the registered address (ie the one on the electoral roll) would be safer... and it could be forwarded on if necessary.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 1:31 p.m. | #

@Jordan D: Grey text one millimetre high, deliberately positioned to give you the maximum possible chance of failing to read it, does not constitute "proper T&Cs".

And in what universe is scamming the Data Protection Act to get voters on your spam list "nothing wrong"? They clearly know very well what DG's personal details are, so they could, in theory, have added him to the marketing list without getting his consent at all. They didn't, because of a little thing we like to call 'the law'. The Act demands that you don't use anyone's details for commercial gain unless they give you their consent - so they are now attempting to trick people into giving their consent.

Ironically, this mailing effectively amounts to an attempt to extract consent from people without their consent. Sounds as if, if that's "nothing illegal", it's time for the law to be tightened up...

swirlythingy | Homepage | 22.03.12 - 1:33 p.m. | #

Er, "Data Provision Act"?

@Blue Witch: If I remember correctly from my student days, until not so long ago being away from home at election time was the main (only?) reason for getting a postal vote, so of course postal voting forms would be sent to different addresses.

Steve Bird | 22.03.12 - 4:58 p.m. | #

I can only assume that the large number of people commenting on today's post have been drawn here by the coining of the term 'Sackborisers'.

It could become DG's first citation by the compilers of the OED!

Roehamster | 22.03.12 - 6:49 p.m. | #

How small does the small print have to be before it breaks equalities/disability discrimination legislation?

Mark | Homepage | 23.03.12 - 7:03 p.m. | #











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