Police chiefs have been issued with new guidance to help them uncover and prosecute election cheats amid claims that thousands of students may have voted twice to try to put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street.
The Electoral Commission, which last month said it was investigating “troubling” evidence of illegality on polling day, has issued “additional dedicated guidance on double-voting” for the use of police forces.
The news comes after Chris Skidmore, a Cabinet Office minister, wrote to Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Cann, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) expert on electoral fraud, demanding action be taken against cheats.
The minister writes: “I want the NPCC and police forces to be aware that the government encourages and will support every effort to uncover and investigate instances of criminal behaviour in relation to elections.”
Skidmore said it was clear, given the substantial correspondence received by his department and the Electoral Commission, that “many citizens are concerned about the potential impact of this activity on the outcome of polls and that it is undermining confidence in the electoral system”.
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After the general election in June there were reports of students boasting on social media that they had voted twice for Labour — in their university seats as well as in their home towns. Seats such as Kensington, Canterbury and Lincoln, where there was surprise when Labour took them from the Tories, all had a large number of student votes.
Lincoln’s former Conservative MP, Karl McCartney, has submitted evidence of people claiming to have voted twice.
The advice received by police forces tells them how to investigate allegations of double-voting, including obtaining from the relevant returning officers the marked copy of the register. The marked register records electors who have been issued with and returned a postal ballot pack and those who have been issued with a ballot paper in a polling station.
In response to the minister’s letter, Cann said the police were committed to “tackling all forms of voter fraud”.
The Russell Group, which represents 24 of the country’s most respected academic institutions, is considering whether to give students new guidance on voting and electoral fraud.
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Dr Tim Bradshaw, acting director of the group, said: “Students have every right to play a full part in election campaigning and political debate has always been a feature of life on campus. It is right that universities should help ensure students know their rights when it comes to voting, but also the responsibilities that come with being a citizen and taking part in elections.
“These allegations are still under investigation but if there are substantiated issues to address, then clearly we will have to think carefully about any additional guidance that may need to be offered at election time.”