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RICHMOND WATCHDOG OPEN FORUM
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| Subject: Elections: - DTLR Press Release. |
Author: R H
Date: 10/24/2001 5:28 am WEDT
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I subscribe to have DTLR press releases delivered as email messages. Anybody can do this. Advice will be available on their web site or from the enquiry line.
It is alaways interesting to compare the original releases with the versions then to be seen in the media. A picture or a quote is often added but very little otherwise. "Investigatve Journalism" is, on the whole, a myth.
Here is the item I referred to:
412 4 October 2001
COUNCILS INVITED TO MODERNISE DEMOCRACY AT NEXT ELECTION
Councils throughout England are being invited to try out new methods of
voting at the next local
elections in May 2002. Announcing this today Local Government Minister,
Nick Raynsford, said:
"Innovative and soundly based ideas for modernising elections will be
welcomed, and we are
particularly interested in supporting pilots of electronic voting, at
polling stations, electronic
counting, online voting and postal or telephone voting."
He added;
"Much of our current electoral practice is rooted in Nineteenth Century
attitudes and our
democratic processes must be updated to reflect the way we live today. The
2000 Local
Election pilots showed that new ways of voting such as all-postal ballots
and electronic
voting can make voting more straight forward and efficient as well as
secure and above all
readily accessible. I am keen to regain the momentum for electoral reform
started 18 months
ago and for this reason I have written to all Council leaders in England
inviting them to apply
to participate in the 2002 Local Elections pilot.
While all pilots will receive advice and support from the Electoral
Commission, I recognise
that those seeking to trial electronic methods of voting or counting will
require some initial
investment in new technology, which we intend to cover as part of our Local
Government
Online Strategy."
Invitations are being issued with the support of the Local Government
Association and the
Electoral Commission. The closing date for applications is 31 December
2001, with successful
pilots being announced at the end of January 2002. The Department will also
be setting up, through
a tendering process, a panel of suppliers to provide the equipment and
technical expertise to
support councils participating in the electronic democracy pilots.
EDITORS NOTES
1. The pilots mentioned above will help to inform changes to the way people
vote. Other sources
of information include the joint-funded research project announced last
week. The research
project will take 7 months and focuses exclusively on remote electronic
voting via the phone,
TV or Internet. Refer to press release 400 for more information. 2. The full prospectus is available on the DTLR website www.dtlr.gov.uk 3. Successful pilots from May 2000 In May 2000 there were a number of pilots, these include; ? Gloucester and Amber Valley, piloted postal voting on demand and turnout
rose by
more than a quarter compared with previous local elections.
* All postal voting had a dramatic increase in turnout almost
everywhere. In most cases
there was a 50% or greater rise in the number of electors casting a ballot
compared with
elections in 1999.
4. Around the world
Positive experiences around the world include;
* In March 2000 voters in the Democratic Party Primary in Arizona had the
choice of
voting by post, online or at a polling station. 80% of those who voted did
so online or by
post.
* In Italy those in hospitals or nursing homes are able to cast a ballot on
the premises.
* In 1992 one local authority in New Zealand reverted to voting at polling
places and
recorded a turnout of 26% compared to an average of 56% in authorities who
ran all
postal voting.
Press Enquiries: 020 7944 3044 Out of Hours: 020 7944 5925
E-mail: press@dtlr.gov.uk
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 3000
DTLR website: http://www.dtlr.gov.uk
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| Topics |
Author |
Date |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/19/2001 3:05 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/19/2001 6:00 pm WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/22/2001 6:14 am WEDT |
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R H |
10/22/2001 10:12 am WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/23/2001 11:04 am WEDT |
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Knowledgeable |
10/23/2001 12:21 am WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/23/2001 2:39 pm WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/23/2001 2:59 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/23/2001 4:22 pm WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/24/2001 6:13 am WEDT |
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R H |
10/24/2001 7:27 am WEDT |
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   |
Elections: - DTLR Press Release. |
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R H |
10/24/2001 5:28 am WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/24/2001 2:48 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/25/2001 11:19 am WEDT |
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Knowledgeable |
10/25/2001 1:53 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/25/2001 11:11 pm WEDT |
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