Man registers five fake voters at his two-bed flat (From Southend Standard)
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Southend exposes ease of electoral fraud
12:00pm Friday 26th October 2012 in Echo News By David Trayner
Terry Davis with the five voting cards
GAPING holes in the electoral system have been laid bare after a man successfully registered five imaginary voters at his two-bedroom flat.
The Electoral Commission and Southend Council have admitted they rely on trust and the threat of prosecution to prevent electoral fraud after a retired market trader from Leigh successfully applied for five voting cards for next month’s the police and crime commissioner election using false names without facing checks.
Terry Davis, 58, who has risked prosecution to expose the ease with which electoral fraud can be committed, said: “It’s like a third world country.”
Southend Council handed over the polling cards without question after Mr Terry filled out his annual canvas form claiming five other people lived at his Leighton Avenue flat. The cards could be used illegally to vote five times in the November 15 election.
Rob Tinlin, chief executive and returning officer for Southend Council, said: “The current electoral registration system relies heavily on trust, but the canvass forms sent out to every household annually make it abundantly clear that you are breaking the law if you provide false information.
“The canvass return in question was dealt with in good faith as there was no obvious reason to challenge it.
“The only reason this individual received five polling cards is because they deliberately falsified the details on their canvass form. In doing so they committed a criminal offence.”
Comments(12)
Joe Wildman
says...
12:43pm Fri 26 Oct 12
j-w
says...
1:06pm Fri 26 Oct 12
j-w wrote:Unless of course the journalist is Indian?
Even the Echo is confused, is it Mr Terry or Mr Davis?
Soouthchurch59
says...
1:17pm Fri 26 Oct 12
j-w wrote:Valid (but, unlikely!) point.
j-w wrote:Unless of course the journalist is Indian?
Even the Echo is confused, is it Mr Terry or Mr Davis?
Eric Whim
says...
2:30pm Fri 26 Oct 12
j-w wrote:he can choose who he wants to be from five identities if he's got that many voting cards.....
Even the Echo is confused, is it Mr Terry or Mr Davis?
Lastlaugh...
says...
3:08pm Fri 26 Oct 12
rhowes
says...
5:00pm Fri 26 Oct 12
firedog
says...
5:00pm Fri 26 Oct 12
Eric Whim
says...
5:04pm Fri 26 Oct 12
firedog wrote:nothing to do with the oleaginous cretin representing you in Parliament then?
Now it makes sense why we have a mess in Southend west.
asbo industries inc
says...
5:11pm Fri 26 Oct 12
Eric Whim
says...
7:47pm Fri 26 Oct 12
Lastlaugh... wrote:he's registered another thirty families in the caravans in his garden
Perhaps those running this are taking a leaf out of the general elections, Where those who run that turn a blind eye to fraud to give the appearance many vote.
Lastlaugh...
says...
10:05pm Fri 26 Oct 12
Eric Whim wrote:Under you family's name?
Lastlaugh... wrote:he's registered another thirty families in the caravans in his garden
Perhaps those running this are taking a leaf out of the general elections, Where those who run that turn a blind eye to fraud to give the appearance many vote.
The last time anyone from your family voted it was because they mistook the polling station for the dole office.
j-w says...
12:26pm Fri 26 Oct 12