Downing Street cautious about future of postal-only voting

Downing Street and the Labour Party are cautious about extending postal-only voting to general elections, despite impressive increases in turn-out in the local polls.

Postal ballots boosted turnout by an average of 28 per cent, with some areas seeing the number of voters double, in the 13 areas across England where they were tried.

The practice is likely to become more widespread as town halls come under intense pressure to match the figures. Places such as Chorley, Lancashire, saw turn-outs of more than 60 per cent compared with the average of 35 per cent.

However, worries over possible fraud and removing the choice of using a ballot box tempered ministers' enthusiasm for extending the idea to general elections. Other experiments, including voting by internet and phone, and extending voting hours to general election times, had little or no impact. Text messaging was more successful.

Charles Clarke, the chairman of the Labour Party, said the rise in turn-out had been conclusive when it came to local polls. There were unlikely to be "cataclysmic" changes in time for the next general election, but Mr clarke did not rule out reform in 10 or 15 years' time.

"I would be surprised if in local elections there are not more postal ballots next time around, though it will be for the political parties to agree or disagree. I think it is unlikely for the next general election, but I could see it happening in two or three general elections," Mr Clarke said.

"People are interested in politics, it is simply that the political system doesn't address those interests as effectively as it could. One way of doing that better is by having better electoral systems."

But Mr Clarke said there were concerns on fraud and the public's right to choose how to vote. "There are cultural questions about the right to go and vote for your government, which many people feel is their civic duty," he said. "I think if in a slightly cavalier way we just went over all that, that would be a mistake, which is why an evolutionary approach is best."

The Prime Minister's spokesman played down hopes of change in national elections. "The experiment has been a success. It's too early to say what impact they would have on future elections," he said.

The Electoral Commission will analyse the pilot schemes and produce a report in July. A spokeswoman said a review of the 2001 general election had found no evidence of fraud despite making postal votes easier to obtain. Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats said that in Rochdale one house received 25 postal votes.

In Gateshead, turn-out in postal-only ballots increased to 57.4 per cent, more than double the last local elections and more than the 2001 general election. Internet and text messaging increased turn-out in Liverpool's Church ward by 25.5 to 36.5 per cent, but the city's Everton ward saw a rise from 15.9 to 18.3 per cent.