Electoral modernisation-the UK practitioners’ perspective
By John Turner

Electoral modernisation in the United Kingdom has followed a somewhat faltering path since its introduction some 10 years ago. The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has taken a keen interest in the ongoing debate since that time. However, its stance in recent years has become more sceptical largely because modernisation does not appear to have delivered lasting benefits that can be applied in a universal way.

The Ministry of Justice, which is the government department responsible for electoral legislation and policy, defines electoral modernisation as “giving people choice in the way they exercise their vote.” Its aim is to develop policies and processes to make elections more accessible, improve participation, enhance security and improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of elections. Most of this work in the last decade has been on initiatives such as pilots to test innovations in local elections, and the Co-ordinated Online Record of Electors (CORE) information system, which will provide a single source of electoral registration information to authorised users.

Following the May 2007 elections, the AEA expressed considerable concern that:

• a number of problems were identified with the electronic count and counting procedures at the combined Scottish parliamentary and local government elections¹
• insufficient time was allowed to properly test systems used to identify postal voters by their date of birth and signature
• the Electoral Commission, in a summary report of their evaluation of a sixth electoral pilot since 2000, recommended that a range of significant challenges that arose with both electronic voting and counting systems be addressed²

In the AEA’s post-election report following the May 2007 elections, we commented on these issues and expressed considerable concern over their impact on public confidence and the democratic process itself. Similarly, with respect to future pilots at elections, we supported the view of the Electoral Commission that,

“there should be a gap of at least one year before consideration is given to any further piloting of electoral innovations at local government elections. This period of time should be used to develop and debate a robust electoral modernisation strategy that would review progress, propose a new way forward and instigate a public and policy debate.”

So where does all of this leave the AEA and its members? Some years ago when the late Robin Cook was Leader of the House of Commons, he talked about the general election due by around 2010 being e-enabled. The chances of that happening are no more real today than they were when he made that statement. My commentis made more in sorrow than anger. There is no doubt that Robin Cook was both a visionary and a reformer, and the AEA welcomed the ambition behind his statement. Sadly, since that time, there has been little positive progress on which to base a modernisation policy for the future.

The AEA’s current position is little different from what it was when the whole modernisation process was first mooted in the late 1990s. At that time, we said that although we would welcome any initiative that improved service for the voter and increased opportunities for participation, there had to be sufficient checks and balances in place, and the overriding principle had to be to maintain and improve public confidence in the overall system that underpins our democracy.

We have cooperated with government and the Electoral Commission in terms of the various initiatives over the past eight years or so, and we will continue to do so. In doing that, we will seek to influence forward thinking and planning and to provide the necessary opportunities for our members to become involved with and to introduce new or developing systems that meet the above objectives. However, we will continue to measure any proposals against the principle espoused above and to argue for it at every opportunity. Currently, we are awaiting an announcement from the government on its future electoral modernisation strategy. We hope that the lessons learned over the past decade will have been taken into account in settling that strategy. One thing is certain—the AEA will be at the forefront of arguing the case from the viewpoint of both the elector and the administrator.

About AEA

The AEA was founded in 1987 and is the leading professional body in the United Kingdom solely interested in the administration of electoral matters. It is a non-governmental and non-partisan body and has more than 1,500 members, the majority of whom are employed by local authorities to provide electoral registration and election services. Visit the AEA on the web at www.aea-elections.co.uk
Contact: John Turner
Tel: +44 1508-471295

Notes
1. Report summary: Independent Scottish elections review 2007 http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/
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2. Key issues and conclusions: May 2007 electoral pilot schemes http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/
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