What the media says about me...

"Gordon Prentice, lean and livid, led the tribunal like a latterday Robespierre. He was perfectly polite but suggested that Sir Hayden was a credulous, bumbling, time-serving, unreliable message boy."

Simon Carr, The Independent. March 2010

Election Law Secrets Mystify MP

Tags: Press Release | voter registration | Voting Reform

Wednesday, 23 July 2008 00:00

Local MP, Gordon Prentice, says it is “beyond his comprehension” for the name of the person who signs an electoral registration form on behalf of others in a household to be regarded as top secret. The MP formally requested the Chief Executive of Pendle Council, Stephen Barnes, to disclose who signed the electoral registration form on behalf of all the voters at 214-216 Manchester Road, Nelson, the home of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Pendle, Afzal Anwar. 27 voters are registered at the Manchester Road address. Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: “I was told the information is confidential and cannot be released. It is an Alice in Wonderland situation that the name of the person who certifies and vouches for the eligibility to vote of other members of the household is regarded as a state secret. Especially where that person can be fined £1,000 for knowingly giving wrong information.” “To this day, I have no idea who signed the electoral registration form on behalf of the other 26 adults at the Manchester Road address. Why this should be regarded as secret in an age of increasing openness and transparency completely mystifies me."” The MP quizzed Sam Younger, the Chair of the Electoral Commission, who told him: “You raise a very important point about the transparency of how electors are currently registered. It is, however, just one of a number of fundamental flaws in the current system of household registration. We believe that, rather than amending the current system, the Government must introduce individual elector registration in Great Britain – including the collection from each elector of individual identifiers such as signature and date of birth. We believe this is the essential first step towards ensuring a sufficiently secure and transparent registration process.” The MP commented: “As a result of my efforts and others, Government has now promised to introduce individual voter registration. The sooner the better.”