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| Barnet polling blunder: hundreds may be entitled to compensation | Barnet polling blunder: hundreds may be entitled to compensation |
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| Hundreds of people denied a vote in last month’s elections after a polling register blunder at London’s Barnet council, could be entitled to compensation, according to the chairman of a London assembly inquiry into the fiasco. | Hundreds of people denied a vote in last month’s elections after a polling register blunder at London’s Barnet council, could be entitled to compensation, according to the chairman of a London assembly inquiry into the fiasco. |
| Up to 600 people attempting to vote in Barnet in the mayoral and London assembly elections on 5 May were turned away, including the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. | Up to 600 people attempting to vote in Barnet in the mayoral and London assembly elections on 5 May were turned away, including the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. |
| Barnet council told a London assembly election review hearing that one of the presiding officers warned of something being wrong with the election registers the day before the election. | Barnet council told a London assembly election review hearing that one of the presiding officers warned of something being wrong with the election registers the day before the election. |
| Related: Voting shambles in Barnet as Britain goes to the polls | Related: Voting shambles in Barnet as Britain goes to the polls |
| Many of the council’s 155 polling stations were sent incomplete electoral registers, but the mistake was not corrected until the polling had begun and some voters were being turned away because their names were missing from the poll list. | Many of the council’s 155 polling stations were sent incomplete electoral registers, but the mistake was not corrected until the polling had begun and some voters were being turned away because their names were missing from the poll list. |
| It emerged during the hearing that the mistake could lead to hundreds of claims for maladministration to the Electoral Commission. | It emerged during the hearing that the mistake could lead to hundreds of claims for maladministration to the Electoral Commission. |
| John Hooton, the council’s interim chief executive and returning officer, admitted that the council failed in its duties “to some residents”. Hooton apologised for the problems. | John Hooton, the council’s interim chief executive and returning officer, admitted that the council failed in its duties “to some residents”. Hooton apologised for the problems. |
| Hooton’s predecessor, Andrew Travers, the previous Barnet and Camden constituency returning officer, left the council by “mutual agreement” four days after the blunder. | Hooton’s predecessor, Andrew Travers, the previous Barnet and Camden constituency returning officer, left the council by “mutual agreement” four days after the blunder. |
| Hooton pointed out that about half of the people turned away at the polling stations were able to vote later after the corrected registers were dispatched. “We are talking about hundreds rather than thousands of people,” Hooton told the panel. | Hooton pointed out that about half of the people turned away at the polling stations were able to vote later after the corrected registers were dispatched. “We are talking about hundreds rather than thousands of people,” Hooton told the panel. |
| Barnet’s assurance director, Davina Fiore, said: “We will never know an absolutely accurate figure ... Of those who said they were impacted, nearly 50% were able to return. So if we say between 500 and 600 were impacted then it would be between 250 and 300 that were able to return.” | Barnet’s assurance director, Davina Fiore, said: “We will never know an absolutely accurate figure ... Of those who said they were impacted, nearly 50% were able to return. So if we say between 500 and 600 were impacted then it would be between 250 and 300 that were able to return.” |
| Len Duvall, leader of the Labour group on the London assembly, who is chairing the review, suggested those people unable to return would be entitled to a claim against the council. “If I’m one of those people that gave my name and contact details and I was unable to return to vote – have I got a claim against you for maladministration? I’m not sure I could put a price on a vote, but I think the ombudsman could,” he said. | Len Duvall, leader of the Labour group on the London assembly, who is chairing the review, suggested those people unable to return would be entitled to a claim against the council. “If I’m one of those people that gave my name and contact details and I was unable to return to vote – have I got a claim against you for maladministration? I’m not sure I could put a price on a vote, but I think the ombudsman could,” he said. |
| Fiore replied: “We have kept all the records of the day. I don’t believe people would have a claim against us, but that’s a matter for people to decide themselves.” | Fiore replied: “We have kept all the records of the day. I don’t believe people would have a claim against us, but that’s a matter for people to decide themselves.” |
| The local government ombudsman said it would be a matter for the Electoral Commission. | The local government ombudsman said it would be a matter for the Electoral Commission. |
| Fiore gave details of how presiding officers raised the alarm about the electoral list the night before the election. She told the panel: “A presiding officer rang a member of the team and said ‘I’m not sure my register is right’. The member of the team they spoke to thought it was an isolated incident. It was only when that member of staff got to that polling station and saw the register that it was realised that ‘oh my goodness this is the wrong register and this might not be an isolated incident’. The whole system then went into recovery mode.” | Fiore gave details of how presiding officers raised the alarm about the electoral list the night before the election. She told the panel: “A presiding officer rang a member of the team and said ‘I’m not sure my register is right’. The member of the team they spoke to thought it was an isolated incident. It was only when that member of staff got to that polling station and saw the register that it was realised that ‘oh my goodness this is the wrong register and this might not be an isolated incident’. The whole system then went into recovery mode.” |
| Opening the hearing, Duvall said: “I do think mistakes happen in terms of elections, but usually they are at the minor end. This on the scale of one to 10 is probably a nine or even a 10. Denying someone the opportunity to vote must be quite serious in our democracy. This is a pretty major failure.” | Opening the hearing, Duvall said: “I do think mistakes happen in terms of elections, but usually they are at the minor end. This on the scale of one to 10 is probably a nine or even a 10. Denying someone the opportunity to vote must be quite serious in our democracy. This is a pretty major failure.” |
| An investigation by Barnet council published this month found that human error led to the incorrect electoral registers being printed. The council accepted the recommendations in full and has put in place a number of checks in an attempt to avoid similar problems in next week’s EU referendum. | |
| Hooton was asked about lessons the council had learned. “The overall rule about running elections is check, check and check again,” he said. | Hooton was asked about lessons the council had learned. “The overall rule about running elections is check, check and check again,” he said. |
| Fiore added: “We did not have a check in place for the accuracy of the register ... We should have had a check and we should have picked that up. | Fiore added: “We did not have a check in place for the accuracy of the register ... We should have had a check and we should have picked that up. |
| “All the staff involved in the election were actually quite devastated by what happened [and] fully recognise the seriousness of what happened and would agree with your assessment of it being a major catastrophe in terms of elections. We absolutely recognise that public confidence in the electoral system is absolutely paramount and we are going to do what we need to do to get that back.” | “All the staff involved in the election were actually quite devastated by what happened [and] fully recognise the seriousness of what happened and would agree with your assessment of it being a major catastrophe in terms of elections. We absolutely recognise that public confidence in the electoral system is absolutely paramount and we are going to do what we need to do to get that back.” |