Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: May Elections

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Electoral Commission believes in proceeding with elections as scheduled whenever possible.
  • The commission is working to mitigate potential health risks during elections, following public health advice.
  • The commission considers practical challenges in delivering an all-postal election and aims to provide voter choice.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wes Streeting Lab Ilford North
Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP is concerned about the feasibility of conducting elections in May 2021 amid health concerns.

Question

What steps the Committee is taking to ensure that elections are able to take place in May 2021. The concern lies in ensuring democratic processes proceed while adhering to public health guidelines.

Answer from Chris Matheson

The commission believes that it is an important democratic principle that elections should proceed as scheduled whenever possible. To ensure this can happen in May, the commission is working closely with electoral administrators, political parties and other campaigners to provide the necessary support and guidance, informed by the latest public health advice.

Answered
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Q2 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP is questioning the feasibility of making necessary changes to electoral procedures in time for May elections.

Question

Looking at the electoral procedures to be followed, there are areas like nomination signatures where face-to-face contact could occur. Can you confirm if work is being done now to mitigate such issues?

Answer from Chris Matheson

The commission is undertaking work to ensure that the elections can proceed in May in as safe a way as possible, and is working with electoral administrators to achieve that. They will be following public health advice, but at this stage, there is little time to make changes to some of the procedures before those elections.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific challenges in making timely changes

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Q3 Wes Streeting Lab Ilford North
Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP is inquiring about the feasibility of conducting all-postal ballots or providing postal vote application forms for safety reasons.

Question

Has the Electoral Commission looked at the possibility of having all-postal ballots, or at least providing households with postal vote application forms and a freepost return service? The aim is to enable voting safely and without financial barriers.

Answer from Chris Matheson

There would be significant practical challenges in delivering an all-postal election in May, particularly with collecting personal identifiers from all eligible electors. The commission considers that voters should be able to choose how they wish to cast their vote, including in person. All options will proceed as safely as possible for the elections in May.

Partly answered

Not addressed: practical challenges of implementing alternative voting methods

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