Scottish referendum results: 10 counts of electoral fraud alleged in Glasgow

Impersonation suspected as ballot papers taken to be fingerprinted

Pro-independence supporters wave Scottish flags in Glasgow's George Square, in Scotland, on September 17, 2014. (Andy Buchanan | AFP | Getty Images)

Allegations of electoral fraud at polling stations in Glasgow cast a shadow over the Scottish referendum result today.

Police launched an investigation after the city’s council alerted them to 10 suspected cases of voters impersonating other people, allowing them to complete two ballot papers. Under British law, voters are not required to present identification when they take part in an election.

Stewart Hosie, SNP Treasury spokesman at Westminster, said it was “very sad that people feel the need to engage in any kind of impersonation”, adding: “I think that’s a daft thing to do. The ballot papers have been identified, they will be taken away and fingerprinted, the police will do their job and I’m sure whoever has done it will be caught and sentenced.

“That’s the correct procedure. It won’t change the result but of course it shouldn’t have happened, it is a silly, silly, thing for anyone to try to do.”

Colin Edgar, a spokesman for Glasgow City Council’s chief executive, explained how the alleged fraud was uncovered. “Somebody turned up to vote, they gave their name, the presiding officer went to cross off their name on the list of voters to give them a ballot paper and found the name had already been crossed off and a ballot paper had already been issued to someone who apparently had the same name,” he said.

The scale of the fraud appears to be very small, as the number of people registered to vote in Glasgow is 486,219.