Britons urged not to vote by post
{{dateline|date=April 13, 2005 |location=United Kingdom}} The British Electoral Reform Society, Electoral Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers have discouraged the British people from using the postal voting system, and asked campaigners in the general election not to take part in applying for or returning postal votes.

The call comes one week after a Labour Councillor in Birmingham was jailed for election fraud, after party campaigners collected blank ballot papers from confused voters in a trial of a postal-only election.

On Sunday the judge in the trial of Muhammed Hussain, Richard Mawrey QC, described the postal voting system as hopelessly flawed, and said the government was in denial about the problems.

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==Sources==
* {{source|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/election/story/0,15803,1458341,00.html|author=Hugh Muir|title=New fears over postal vote fraud|pub=The Guardian|date=April 12, 2005}}
* {{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/have_your_say/4411669.stm|pub=BBC News|author=|date=April 12|title=Is postal voting an invitation to fraud?}}
* {{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4425519.stm|pub=BBC News|author=|date=April 8|title=Vote-rigging ex-councillor jailed}}

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The British Electoral Reform Society, Electoral Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers have discouraged the British people from using the postal voting system, and asked campaigners in the general election not to take part in applying for or returning postal votes.

The call comes one week after a Labour Councillor in Birmingham was jailed for election fraud, after party campaigners collected blank ballot papers from confused voters in a trial of a postal-only election.

On Sunday the judge in the trial of Muhammed Hussain, Richard Mawrey QC, described the postal voting system as hopelessly flawed, and said the government was in denial about the problems.
elections Politics and conflicts Europe United Kingdom Published