A new PACAC inquiry will look at the resilience of UK general
elections following the implementation of the Elections Act
2022.
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
will review the administration, process and conduct of the 2024
general election, and how these could be improved for future
elections.
In the Electoral Commission's report on
the 2024 general election, it concluded that ‘overall, the
May and July 2024 elections were well-run, and voters continue to
have high levels of confidence and satisfaction in the
polls'.
They did, however, note ‘a number of significant improvements
necessary to support participation and trust in future
elections'. These include postal voting, overseas voting, Voter
ID and tackling intimidation of candidates and
campaigners.
MPs on the Committee will be seeking to look more closely at
these issues, as well as others, on behalf of Parliament.
Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional
Affairs Committee, MP, said:
“While this year's elections were delivered successfully, the
Elections Act 2022 has placed greater burdens on our electoral
system than ever before.
“With an ever-changing franchise and more demands being
placed on a system which is already operating at close to full
capacity, we need to make sure our processes continue to be
robust and resilient for future elections.”
Terms of reference
Submissions can be made via the online evidence portal.
The Committee invites evidence on the following
areas:
· Postal voting
· The requirement for
photographic identification at the polling station
· Overseas voters
· Measures in place to
prevent and tackle abuse and intimidation of
candidates.
· The voter registration
processes.
Deadline for submission is Monday 27 January.
