Archive for Election law
Garry Allighan: expulsion from Parliament
The new today that Eric Illsley MP has been convicted of expenses fraud but may yet remain an MP has brought back to light the case of Garry Allighan. Illsley will be barred from being an MP if he receives a jail sentence of at least a year, but if he does not there is [...]
The two electoral tests the Coalition should run
If it is serious about wanting to see higher turnout in elections, the government should trial weekend voting and increasing the number of polling stations so people have less far to travel to vote.
What does the Zac Goldsmith case mean for election expense controls in future?
It’s always tempting to view the verdict of investigations through a partisan filter – if ‘your side’ does not get punished, it’s a great result by a wise team of investigators; if on the other hand it does get punished, it’s a muddle-headed verdict from dangerously ignorant investigators, whether that means the police, the courts [...]
Calls to end alphabetic ordering of candidates on Scottish local election ballot papers
At the last Scottish local elections there were 247 cases where candidates who appeared higher on the ballot paper got more votes than a candidate from the same party further down the list, and only 53 cases where the lower-placed candidate got more votes. This has prompted calls for changes in the way names are listed on ballot papers.
Electoral Commission decides not to refer Zac Goldsmith’s expenses to the police
Yesterday the Electoral Commission decided not to refer Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith's election expenses to the police for further investigation. Though this brings to an end official inquiries into whether Zac Goldsmith had kept within election law, the details of the Electoral Commission's rulings leave several questions about Goldsmith's expenses unanswered and also suggest that in future spending under the limit during the long campaign may be seen as a defence for breaking the short campaign limit.
Government scraps plan to fund primaries for Westminster candidate selections
Michael Crick has the scoop about the scrapping of plans to fund open primaries for the selection of Westminster Parliament candidates.
Government publishes details of plans to give prisoners the vote
Earlier today the Government laid out in detail how it plans to abide by a court ruling against the current ban on prisoners voting in elections.
You’ve got to love Australian election lawyers
Whoever wrote Section 245(1) of the 1918 Commonwealth Electoral Act, I salute you. Not only did you add in a provision that the legal obligation to vote in Australian elections does not apply to people who are not qualified to vote, you also added in a provision that being dead is a legally acceptable reason [...]
Returning Officer pay was increased without any idea what it would cost
A significant increase in the pay of some Returning Officers was quietly introduced by the then Labour government ahead of this year's general election but no estimate was made as to what the costs would be of rule changes that made the pay more generous.
How to get election law news via Twitter
My own Twitter feed can get rather busy with my work, Lib Dem, chocolate and other interests, so I’ve started up a Twitter account just for election law news. It’s also a way of highlighting election law and administration stories that are of interest but about which I’ve not got enough commentary to add really to [...]
