BRUM SHOULD "GO IT ALONE" ON POSTAL VOTING

26-07-2008

Birmingham councillor Salma Yaqoob has called on the government to allow local authorities to “go it alone” and opt out of the current postal voting arrangements – which, she argues, encourage fraud and make it difficult for ethnic minority women to support their favoured candidates.

As we revealed earlier this week, Yaqoob met with officials from the Justice Ministry on Thursday to argue her case for a reform of the current system which is designed to make it easier for people to vote – but which in Brum has been widely abused.

"I was told that changing the system completely would be difficult because it would need new primary legislation," she said.

"There have also been other parts of the country where postal voting has been a positive thing, helping people to vote who otherwise wouldn't".

He solution is the proposal to allow an opt-out on a Council by Council basis – allowing cities where there have been problems like Birmingham to address the issue on a local basis.

The Stirrer understands her suggestion has some suport within government circles.

Yaqoob has already won unprecedented cross-party support in the city to change the existing system (see link here)

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