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MPs to debate ballot paper access MPs allow access to ballot papers
(about 5 hours later)
Moves to allow investigators to study ballot papers involved in the Holyrood election votes fiasco are to be debated at Westminster later. Election investigators are to be allowed to scrutinise thousands of ballot papers which led to the voting fiasco during the Scottish elections.
MPs will vote on a move to amend election rules to give investigators access to the ballot papers. MPs have approved a change in the law which will allow Ron Gould, who is leading an inquiry, access to the approximately 140,000 rejected ballots.
The Electoral Commission appointed Ron Gould to lead an independent inquiry into the debacle in which an estimated 140,000 votes were rejected. Scrutiny of ballot papers is forbidden under current law.
The Scotland Office denied it was moving too slowly in the investigation. Following this morning's vote, the Scottish Secretary will be given powers to allow access to the ballots.
May's elections for Holyrood and the Scottish local authorities saw a new design of ballot paper for the parliament vote and a new preferential voting system for the council seats. Access to the papers is given with the provision they are then returned and destroyed, in order to ensure the secrecy of peoples' votes.
There is an urgent need to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the Scottish election Alistair Carmichael MPThere is an urgent need to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the Scottish election Alistair Carmichael MP
The election saw the SNP emerge as Holyrood victors by a margin of just one seat, in a contest in which the number of rejected ballot papers counted at more than 140,000. May's elections for Holyrood and the Scottish local authorities saw a new design of ballot paper for the parliament vote and a new preferential voting system for the council seats.
There were 15,000 rejected papers in 1999. Some blamed the redesign for the estimated 140,000 rejected papers.
A spokesman for the Scotland Office said that it was actively co-operating with Mr Gould's independent inquiry team. The election saw the SNP emerge as Holyrood victors by a margin of just one seat.
He said: "Despite ill-informed speculation, Scotland Office officials have worked closely with Mr Gould's team to provide access to ballot papers through appropriate legislation." Appropriate legislation
But Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said: "There is an urgent need to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the Scottish election. The Electoral Commission appointed Ron Gould - the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada - to lead an independent inquiry into the debacle.
"It is ludicrous to imagine that a proper investigation could take place without the investigators having the opportunity to view the ballot papers in question. Mr Gould requested access to the rejected papers of May 2007 and following the decision his inquiry team will be allowed to examine patterns of voting behaviour to try to establish what went wrong.
The Scotland Office previously denied it was moving too slowly in the investigation.
A spokesman for the Scotland Office had said that it was actively co-operating with Mr Gould's independent inquiry team and was already working to provide Mr Gould's team with access to ballot papers through appropriate legislation.
Before the vote, Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said: "There is an urgent need to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the Scottish election.
"These ballots should have been made available as soon as the scale of the problems became clear," Mr Carmichael added."These ballots should have been made available as soon as the scale of the problems became clear," Mr Carmichael added.
Ron Gould is the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada. There were 15,000 rejected papers in 1999.