Postal voting fraud warning

A NORTH-WEST Euro-MP has warned electors to beware of postal ballot fraud.

Over the next few days thousands of postal vote forms will be arriving for this year’s local government and European elections.

Lancashire-based Tory Sajjad Karim has expressed concerns about vote fraud across the county and called on electors to ensure they complete their own vote according to their own wish.

Mr Karim said: “Postal votes only used to be granted if voters could show they couldn’t get to the polling station. In 2012, despite concerns from the Electoral Commission and the police, Labour allowed anyone on the electoral register to have a postal vote. The number of people using absent votes has shot up over 200 per cent in some constituencies.

“The numbers have gone up dramatically, particularly in seats with substantial Asian electorates. It gives an opportunity for political activists to commit fraud on these communities. In recent elections parts of Oldham and Rochdale have been identified as high-risk postal-vote fraud areas. Already I have reports coming in of certain activists working the streets picking up postal ballot papers and local people are too frightened to report this to the authorities.

“Don’t allow anyone to put pressure on you to vote for a particular candidate or political party.”