CONCLUSIONS
Following the criteria used in the evaluation of previous election pilots, and which are set out on page 4 of the report, the conclusions of this report are as follows:
- Success in facilitating Voting or Counting of Votes. While there was some delay in the distribution of postal votes, the processes adopted by the Council appear to have worked successfully. Electors were offered the option of either posting their returns or delivering them to one of the three ADPs. Training on the new arrangements and in particular issues relating to security and fraud, was given to those who staffed the ADPs. The Count followed normal procedures.
- Impact on Turnout. There is some evidence to suggest that turnout was higher than it would have been if the scheme had not applied. However, there appears to be a small core of non-voters for whom the mechanism for casting their votes makes no difference to how likely they are to vote.
- Accessibility and Assistance Schemes. The low number of calls (33) to the Council's helpline suggests that local residents did not encounter particular difficulties in voting. Returning Officer's staff were available at the ADPs and were prepared to visit homes to assist electors in completing their ballot papers. A voting device was also made available at the Assistance and Delivery Points to assist those with sight impairments. No electors requested this assistance. Overall, around nine in ten (86%) voters said their overall experience of casting their vote in the by-election was ' good', including 61% who said it was very good.
- Security and Fraud. While half of respondents felt that voting by post was open to fraud or abuse, no evidence was found to suggest that the pilot scheme actually resulted in an increase in personation or other malpractice. The post-election integrity check carried out by the Council was specifically designed as an additional security test and it identified no evidence of fraud or malpractice. The post-election survey showed that the concerns expressed about postal voting do not stem from personal experience but largely from concerns read or heard in the media.
- Cost. The all postal process was considerably more expensive than a by-election carried out using conventional arrangements. It may be, however, that there would be some economies of scale were all postal elections to become more widely used.
The findings of this evaluation largely support the main thrust of the Council's own evaluation report and the conclusions it draws directly relating to the electoral pilot scheme. The conclusions are also broadly consistent with the previous evaluations of all-postal vote pilot schemes carried out by the Electoral Commission.