Measures put in place by Tower Hamlets Council to combat electoral fraud for the UK Parliamentary General Election have been recommended nationally as good practice by elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission (EC).
Will Tuckley, Acting Returning Officer for Tower Hamlets said: “We work closely with the police and the Electoral Commission to monitor elections and this has resulted in a significant reduction in allegations of fraud since 2014, and only a handful in the last three elections (GLA, EU referendum and Whitechapel by-election).
“Some of the measures brought in by the council such as “exclusion zones” outside polling stations have now been recommended nationally as good practice.”
When residents go to the polls to elect Members of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow; and Poplar and Limehouse constituencies, the police will be present at all polling stations. Among their tasks will be to prevent large groups of campaigners from congregating outside and obstructing or intimidating voters.
A hotline and dedicated email address has been set up for agents and candidates to report any concerns and all allegations of fraud.
Any complaints about fraud made to the Acting Returning Officer will be investigated fully and responded to within 24 hours.
All applications to register to vote have been verified against data held by the Department of Work and Pensions and council records. The signature and date of birth on retuned postal packs are also verified against the original application to ensure electors are who they claim to be.
Canvassers have visited all properties in Tower Hamlets with more than five electors registered to ensure the register is as up-to-date as possible on polling day.
The turnout for the election in Bethnal Green and Bow in 2015 was 64% out of an electorate of 82,727.
The turnout for the election in Poplar and Limehouse was 62% out of an electorate of 82,081.
The current electorate eligible to vote in the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency is 85,951 and eligible to vote in the Polar and Limehouse constituency is 87,183. The final electorate will not be known until 9pm on polling day.
For more information, contact susan.mulligan@towerhamlets.gov.uk or call 020 7364 4389
– Press Realise