Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1) Summary of Decision Area:

1.1. That Cabinet approve the County Council's draft response at Appendix B to the Election Day - Weekend Voting consultation paper issued by Government.

2) Issues Covered in Report:

2.1. The Government is seeking to engage the public and interested parties in examining the case for holding UK parliamentary general elections, local elections in England and Wales and European Parliamentary elections at the weekend. The consultation paper considers the possible reasons for change, issues and potential solutions.

2.2. This report considers the County Council's response to the consultation.

3) Recommendations:

3.1. That Cabinet approve the County Council's draft response at Appendix B to the Ministry of Justice consultation paper "Election Day - Weekend Voting", subject to amendments to be agreed with the Leader.

MAIN REPORT

1) Purpose of the Report:

1.1. That Cabinet approve the County Council's draft response at Appendix B to the Election Day - Weekend Voting consultation paper issued by Government.

2) Contextual Information:

2.1. A Government consultation paper "Election Day - Weekend Voting" was published by the Ministry of Justice on 24 June 2008. The consultation paper is presented as being part of the programme of constitutional renewal set out in the Governance of Britain Green Paper published in July 2007.

2.2. The paper aims to promote debate on the merits of moving the Election Day from Thursday to the weekend, and on the best way to do this. The consultation paper states that the Government is keeping an open mind on this issue and is interested to hear the views of all those with an interest in the subject. The consultation runs until 26 September 2008.

2.3. The Government plans that the results from the consultation will be fed into a Citizens' Summit which will consider the physical and non-physical barriers to voting. A cross-section of the public will be invited to consider the issue in detail and to make a recommendation to Parliament on whether Election Day should be moved to the weekend.

2.4. UK parliamentary elections, local elections and Parliamentary elections within Hampshire are managed by the District and Borough councils. In preparing this paper we have therefore sought the views of officers from these authorities.

3) Possible reasons for change:

3.1. The consultation paper puts forward convenience and levels of turnout as possible reasons for change. It suggests that the electoral process in the course of a working day does not fit with modern lifestyles and working pressures and that there is some evidence to suggest that weekend voting could increase turnout. Conversely it recognises that less routine at weekends, recreational activity and caring activities could present barriers. It also recognises that evidence on increasing turnout is mixed and no reliable evidence that weekend voting is an effective cure for low turnout. It also notes that the Electoral Commission in a report of voter engagement and young people noted the provision of weekend voting was a preferred option.

4) Issues:

4.1. The consultation paper considers a number of issues associated with the proposal to move to weekend voting: religious beliefs and observance; resources; polling station venues; security; exit polls; and the timing of elections. Certainly a number of these were concerns raised in the views put forward by officers in other authorities in Hampshire.

4.2. The consultation paper also discusses the issue of funding. It recognises that moving to voting at weekends could be more expensive. The estimated additional costs for a national election are estimated to range between £38 million and £58 million depending on if the election is held on a Saturday, a Sunday or both. Estimates on the additional costs for local elections are not available. The consultation paper notes that no resources are currently set aside to support a move to weekend voting and the impact of any new burdens on local authorities would need to be funded appropriately.

4.3. Taking into account religious beliefs and observance it is difficult to see how weekend voting could take place on either a Saturday or Sunday only. Voting over two days will increase costs and lead to issues around securing elections material overnight.

4.4. Authorities managing elections are also concerned about the recruitment of polling staff and administrators for weekend elections, both in terms of the potential pool of staff available and the likely additional cost of weekend working. Voting over both days at the weekend will have additional impact here.

4.5. There is also concern about the availability of polling station venues at weekends. Although there is an argument that use of some school premises could be more readily available, schools are not available in all areas, particularly rural ones. Church and village halls are often common venues in rural areas and are more likely to be in use at weekends with no clear suitable alternatives.

4.6. The consultation paper also discusses the issue of timing. Currently, all elections with the exception of the UK and European parliaments take place on the first Thursday in May. There is concern that in most years the first weekend in May would fall on the May day Bank Holiday weekend and that moving it to the second weekend would be preferable. This weekend is often FA Cup final weekend which could have a significant impact on turnout. There would be a need to avoid any major events similar to this.


4.7. Other issues to be considered would be the impact of transport at the weekends and community safety. The impact for transport is difficult to assess. On the one hand weekend voting could mean special journeys to vote instead of voting on the way home from work, on the other hand household members may share journeys to vote reducing the number made. The availability of public transport in rural areas could also be an issue. On the community safety front the safety of electoral staff on the way home very late into the evening at weekends may need to be considered, particularly in city centres.

5) Potential solutions:

5.1. For voters who do not wish to attend or cast a vote on a particular day the consultation paper recognises they can apply for a postal vote. The paper also seeks views on whether advance voting in polling stations should be made available alongside or in addition to weekend voting and remote electronic voting on or in advance of polling day would be acceptable alternatives for those for whom weekend voting would present difficulties.

5.2. According to the consultation paper 20 local authorities have piloted advance voting in polling stations since 2000. Evidence from these pilots has indicated that the availability of advance voting does little to increase turnout. Advance voting would also carry resource implications.

5.3. The consultation paper also notes that a number of local authorities have piloted innovations such as electronic voting over the internet and simply seeks views on this approach. One of the concerns with electronic voting is ensuring the system is secure. To maintain equity it would also be important to ensure that all methods of voting are available to all voters at the same time.

6) Outline of Options:

6.1. Option 1:

a) Submit the draft response to the consultation at Appendix B, subject to amendments, to be agreed with the Leader.

6.2. Option 2:

a) Do not submit a response to the consultation.

7) Option Analysis / Comparison:

7.1. Option 1 will enable the county council to have its views heard by national policy makers at this early stage in policy formation. Option 2 will leave national policy makers unaware of the County Council's view.

8) Conclusions:

8.1. The consultation paper seeks views on moving the Election Day to a weekend. There is no clear evidence that weekend voting will increase turnout although it is argued that it could fit better with modern lifestyles and working pressure. The paper also identifies that there will be additional costs and other issues to be resolved to enable weekend voting as well as seeking views on advance and remote electronic voting.

9) Summary Recommendations:

9.1. That Cabinet approve the County Council's draft response at Appendix B to the Ministry of Justice consultation paper "Election Day - Weekend Voting", subject to amendments to be agreed with the Leader.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Appendix B

The Governance of Britain

Election Day - weekend voting consultation [CP 13/08]

List of questions for response

We would welcome responses to the following questions set out in this consultation paper. Please email your completed form to: [email protected] or fax to: 020 7210 2659. Thank you!

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