Electoral fraud initiative launched

A new photographic identity card will be introduced next year in a fresh government bid to combat electoral fraud in Northern Ireland.

By next year the government said they further hoped to abolish all non-photographic forms of identity at polling stations.

The initiative to combat electoral fraud was unveiled by Northern Ireland Office minister Des Browne at a seminar organised by the Electoral Commission at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday.

Mr Browne said: “The Government is determined to prevent electoral abuse and to improve confidence in the electoral system.

“The Electoral Fraud Act 2002 makes radical changes to the registration process by requiring people to sign their canvass or application form and to provide their date of birth and national insurance number.”

Mr Browne said the additional personal information would not appear on the public version of the register, but will be used at the Electoral Office to make checks against the names of electors when they apply for an absent vote and to track multiple voters.

He added: “Absent voting practices arguably provide a greater opportunity for vote stealing, because there is a less stringent requirement to prove one's identity when applying for an absent vote than there is at the ballot box.

“The Act combats this problem by requiring absent vote applications to be signed and to state an applicant's date of birth and national insurance number. These must correspond with the information which the elector provided to the Chief Electoral Officer on registration.”

The NIO minister also told delegates yesterday the ease with which identity can be falsified at the polling station has long been a cause for concern for local government.

He said: “As a result the Act provides for a photographic electoral-ID card. We are committed to providing those people who require one with an electoral ID card in time for the scheduled Assembly Election on 1 May 2003."

The NIO said they also hoped to remove of all forms of non-photographic ID from the list of specified documents by May next year making the electoral ID card, the passport, the driving licence and the Senior SmartPass the only ID acceptable at the polling station.

“We have the opportunity to combat electoral abuse in Northern Ireland, to benefit the democratic process and to society at large. But we will only achieve this if we work in partnership.

“Only then can we all - politicians, officials and most importantly the electorate - have confidence in the electoral process in Northern Ireland.”

(AMcE)