by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor
Lord Falconer of Thoroton
The Government is continuing to look at ways to modernise our electoral system and to increase the opportunities that people have to vote. To test the effectiveness and robustness of these innovations and to build public confidence in them, we are continuing to conduct a programme of pilots in 2006 which maintains the momentum that was started in 2000.
With this aim in mind, at the end of October 2005, in conjunction with the Electoral Commission, we issued a prospectus inviting expressions of interest from local authorities seeking to run electoral pilots at the May 2006 local elections.
Today I am pleased to announce that I have accepted 16 applications from local authorities to hold pilots at the May 2006 local elections. The names of the successful local authorities are attached at the end of this statement. A background paper providing further details on the pilots has been placed in the House Library.
The local authorities will pilot innovations including:
Some of these pilots will assist us in planning the implementation of the proposals in the Electoral Administration Bill, in ensuring the ongoing integrity of electoral mechanisms and in refining and developing the programme of work for ensuring electoral processes fit with the needs of modern lifestyles.
The next step will be for us, working in consultation with the Electoral Commission and the local authorities, to draw up the statutory orders authorising the pilots.
We are grateful to all local authorities that applied to pilot in May 2006 and are keen to continue to engage local authorities in looking at innovative ways to improve the elections process and take advantage of new technologies.
Total: 16
Pilots at the 2006 local elections will continue the programme of electoral modernisation that was started in 2000. Electoral pilots seek to make elections and electoral administration more straightforward, more accessible, more efficient and more cost effective. We believe that this gradual process of evaluated piloting is the best way to test innovations while preserving the trust and confidence people have in the electoral system.
Previous pilots have shown a need to maintain the strategic focus of the pilots programme and ensure there are clear benefits and learning arising from individual pilot schemes. The primary focus of the 2006 pilots is on administrative innovations and cementing the security of traditional election processes, rather than seeking to test significant changes to the way in which people vote, such as all-postal voting or electronic voting.
Details of the individual pilot schemes are provided below. The schemes include trials of changes to the administration of elections included in the Electoral Administration Bill, currently before Parliament. The lessons learned from these pilots will be extremely valuable when those innovations come to be implemented on a national basis.
The schemes also include trials of the electronic counting of ballots. E-counting has been utilised in previous UK elections - most notably at elections for the Greater London Authority - and these pilots will focus on refining the system so that informed decisions may be made on its future use.
The pilots below have been chosen following an application process open to all local authorities. Both the Electoral Commission and the Association of Electoral Administrators have been fully consulted and involved in the selection process.
Details of the schemes:
London Borough of Brent
Changes to the ballot papers and postal vote system included in the EA Bill - ballot papers with no counterfoils, use of a watermark, simplified postal vote statement and production of marked register of postal voters.
The pilot would enable us to learn lessons for the implementation of the provisions in the Bill and help inform the drafting of the regulations once the Bill gains Royal Assent.
Brentwood Borough Council
Piloting provisions currently included in the EA Bill requiring electors attending a polling station to provide a signature before being issued with a ballot paper.
The Electoral Commission consider there would considerable learning value to be gained from piloting the provision of signatures in polling stations in order to evaluate the views and reactions of voters to this new requirement. We agree with this position.
Borough of Broxbourne
Early voting in addition to the traditional polling day. Both we and The Electoral Commission consider that this type of pilot scheme would offer significant learning, particularly in providing a comparison of different locations and times for early voting.
Epping Forest District Council
Electronically check postal vote signatures, provide the facility for electors to track postal votes, e-count all ballots, amend the ballot paper to: change the security mark, remove the need for a witness signature on the postal vote statement and utilise an A4 sized ballot paper, conduct voter engagement - pre-poll information to households and allowing children into polling stations, allowing voters to register after the election is called
This pilot will provide us with valuable learning in several e-enabled areas and particular it will provide us with the opportunity to compare a semi-automatic signature process against a fully automatic and manual process. It will also allow us to investigate the postal vote tracking function and the testing and implementation of e-counting. The Commission support the learning value from this pilot. [Updated information]
London Borough of Harrow
Changes to the ballot papers and postal vote system included in the EA Bill - ballot papers with no counterfoils, use of a watermark, simplified postal vote statement and production of marked register of postal voters.
As with the Brent application, this pilot would enable us to learn lessons for the implementation of the provisions in the Bill and help inform the drafting of the regulations once the Bill gains Royal Assent.
London Borough of Lewisham
E-counting with associated elements of changes to the ballot paper (combined with Mayoral election), signing in a polling station and early voting at alternative locations
Both the Electoral Commission and ourselves agree that the e-counting and early voting offers considerable learning value as they are proposing innovative methods in a combined election. The early voting would be done at supermarkets which would enable a contrast with other applications that seek to pilot at council offices.
Piloting the use of signatures in a polling station will provide valuable learning on a small scale before it is rolled out nationally.
Merseyside Authorities
This application is from a group of authorities - Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helen's, Sefton - to pilot changes to the ballot papers and postal vote system included in the EA Bill - ballot papers with no counterfoils, use of a watermark, simplified postal vote statement and production of marked register of postal voters.
As with the applications from Brent and Harrow, this pilot would enable us to learn lessons for the implementation of the provisions in the Bill and help inform the drafting of the regulations once the Bill gains Royal Assent.
We believe that there is learning that could be gained about the use of these changes across a wider scale than most other pilots in an environment that does not currently have a substantial level of postal voting. [Updated information]
London Borough of Newham
Fully automated electronic postal vote signature checking and associated signature collection process, e-counting of all ballots (combined Local and Mayoral election), modified ballot papers to facilitate this process and targeted provision of mobile polling stations.
This pilot will provide us with valuable learning around e-counting using optical character technology compared to traditional optical mark technology and how this might provide accuracy and confidence in the e-counting process.
It will also offer another opportunity to learn about a fully automatic signature checking process and compare against the semi-automatic and manual processes being piloted elsewhere. This pilot also sees the system operating in combined elections. The provision of mobile polling stations in care homes also offers good learning value.
Peterborough City Council
Signing for ballot papers at polling stations.
The Electoral Commission sees the value in piloting it in a small scale before it is rolled out nationally and we agree that it will provide valuable learning.
Rushmoor Borough Council
E-enabled, networked early voting at alternative locations including local military bases, the provision of specific electronic devices to facilitate voting for disabled voters at two locations and voter awareness campaign.
We consider that there is learning value in piloting the e-enabled early voting and the voter awareness campaign as they will positively contribute toward improving voter awareness and participation in elections. This is one of two pilots to test innovations around facilitating voting for service voters. The Electoral Commission supports this position. [Updated information]
Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
Tracking postal votes, provide candidate information, revised postal voting process and early /mobile polling stations using a voting networked electronic register.
We think that the facility for electors to track their postal vote will offer considerable learning, as will the networked mobile voting which will allow electors to vote from any location. We also support the provision of candidate information to voters and the revised postal voting process.
Stevenage Borough Council
Pilot changes to the postal vote process including manual checking of a sample of signatures from the postal vote statement against the signatures on postal vote applications.
We see value from this pilot given the opportunity to use the manual signature check to obtain learning about what volumes are possible without technology and to compare this with the learning from pilots where it is being done electronically.
Stratford-on- Avon District Council
Pilot a basic form of postal vote changes with barcodes and watermarks at elections that will be combined with 29 Parish Council elections.
Swindon Borough Council
Changes to the ballot papers and postal vote system included in the EA Bill - ballot papers with no counterfoils, use of a watermark, simplified postal vote statement.
Tyne and Wear Authorities
This application is from a group of local authorities - South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle - to pilot changes to the ballot paper and postal vote process, signature checking and early voting.
We believe this proposal has merit as a large-scale test and for the opportunities it provides for comparison.
City of Westminster
Pilot e-counting and associated ballot changes, early mobile voting for service voters at military bases in Westminster and e-enabled signature checking
We believe this demonstrates excellent learning opportunities through improved efficiency, the use of enhanced e-counting software, and the engagement of a potentially excluded group (service voters).
The Next Steps
Lessons from previous pilots suggest that we need to maintain a strategic focus on the pilots programme and ensure there are clear benefits and learning from individual pilot schemes. Accordingly, the DCA and the Electoral Commission intend to continue to work closely with the piloting authorities throughout the pre-election period to ensure that the evaluation requirements are clearly understood. The Government believes that this approach will enable more thorough monitoring, testing and evaluation and provide the best possible information on which to make decisions about the future strategy for piloting.
Some of the content of the Written Ministerial Statement issued in the House of Lords on 13 February 2006 on approved electoral pilots for the May 2006 local elections is incorrect or has changed.
Erratum
Details of the application for pilots in the Merseyside Authorities should read:
Merseyside Authorities
This application is from a group of authorities - Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton - to pilot security markings at the printing stage of ballot papers, and the production of a marked register of returned postal votes.
We believe that there is learning that could be gained about the use of these changes across a wide scale.
Other changes
There have been subsequent changes to two pilot schemes - Epping Forest and Newham - since the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 February 2006.
Epping Forest
Due to problems associated with their supplier and subsequent uncertainties, Epping withdrew their pilot application on 15 March.
Newham
Due to a withdrawal of political consensus within the council, Newham have withdrawn the e-counting element of their application. The remainder, including fully automated electronic postal vote signature checking and associated signature collection process, modified ballot papers to facilitate this process and targeted provision of mobile polling stations remains.