Electoral fraud in Birmingham

Much ink will be spilt about the merits or otherwise of postal voting, following a devastating decision in Birmingham that found widespread evidence of electoral fraud by the Labour Party. As a resident of Birmingham- and a Mirpuri/Pakistani like the defendants and claimants- this is a subject close to my heart. It is only a few hours since the decision was delivered.

This was a case unlike any seen in the UK for many decades. Democracy has strong roots in a country that is, after all, the mother of democracy and electoral foul play is rare. It therefore grieves me the more that the community that can claim the dubious honour of succeeding in doing just that is the Pakistani/ Mirpuri community. Given what we are capable of in a country where we are more or less on the periphery of politics, one can only despair about the state of democracy in Pakistan.

The system for voter registration and application for postal voting is so breathtakingly lax as to amount to an invitation to fraud. (It is yet more worrying that we Pakistanis/ Mirpuris should accept that invitation). Registration papers are sent to the household. There is no individual registration and the authorities do not have a database of signatures. The process for applying for a postal vote includes no security measures, for example a date of birth, mother’s maiden name or a password, that the postal vote can be checked against. To further help the fraudsters, the votes can be diverted to another address. This facility was amply used in Birmingham, unbeknown to voters, who only found out when they turned to vote at voting stations.

Yet even if all these loopholes were closed, postal voting on demand is open to abuse, more so in an extended family system as that found among Pakistanis. Voting is a personal act. Whose name you mark an x against should be as personal as the contents of your payslip. Yet even in a well regulated postal voting system, what is there to stop the head of the household completing all the ballots? What is there to stop ‘community leaders’ collecting ballots? Ultimately, there is nothing that can be done. The secrecy of the voting booth, where you can vote anyone without fear, cannot be rivalled.