Objectives
Observe the election process across the Westminster Parliamentary by-elections, following the introduction of the requirement to show ID in May 2023 and 2024.
Advise election officials, legislators, and the UKs Electoral Commission on the results of the observation for the improvement of electoral practice.
Support these election bodies with constructive feedback on areas of concern so that they may consider remedial action.
Overview
Since May 2023, Democracy Volunteers has observed each of the Westminster Parliamentary By-elections across the UK. The organisation deployed between two and eight observers to each by-election.
These observers generally formed teams of two and attended 209 polling stations, across all the by-elections.
These observers spent between 30 and 45 minutes at each polling venue observing the voting process and then completed an online survey, regarding the integrity of the electoral process, for each polling station.
In general, teams attend between 10 and 15 polling stations in their day.
Democracy Volunteers deployed observers across all the ten by-elections, observing a total of 2995 voters, in the process of those observations. We observed family voting in 28% of polling stations. In total, 5.5% of all the 2995 voters we observed voting at these elections were either causing, or were affected by, Family Voting.
We also observed 2.8% of voters turned away by the presiding officer, or their staff, because they lacked the required ID to vote. 68% of those turned away were women of which almost half were ‘non-white passing.’
The By-elections were:
- Uxbridge and South Ruislip 20 July 2023
- Selby and Ainsty 20 July 2023
- Somerton and Frome 20 July 2023
- Rutherglen and Hamilton West 5 October 2023
- Mid Bedfordshire 19 October 2023
- Tamworth 19 October 2023
- Wellingborough 15 February 2024
- Kingswood 15 February 2024
- Rochdale 29 February 2024
- Blackpool South 2 May 2024
