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MPs allow access to ballot papers | MPs allow access to ballot papers |
(about 8 hours later) | |
Election investigators are to be allowed to scrutinise thousands of ballot papers which led to the voting fiasco during the Scottish elections. | Election investigators are to be allowed to scrutinise thousands of ballot papers which led to the voting fiasco during the Scottish elections. |
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. | 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. |
Scrutiny of ballot papers is forbidden under current law. | Scrutiny of ballot papers is forbidden under current law. |
Following this morning's vote, the Scottish secretary will be given powers to allow access to the ballots. | |
Access to the papers is given with the provision they are then returned and destroyed, in order to ensure the secrecy of peoples' votes. | 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 MP | There is an urgent need to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the Scottish election Alistair Carmichael MP |
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. | 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. |
Some blamed the redesign for the estimated 140,000 rejected papers. | Some blamed the redesign for the estimated 140,000 rejected papers. |
The election saw the SNP emerge as Holyrood victors by a margin of just one seat. | The election saw the SNP emerge as Holyrood victors by a margin of just one seat. |
Appropriate legislation | Appropriate legislation |
The Electoral Commission appointed Ron Gould - the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada - to lead an independent inquiry into the debacle. | The Electoral Commission appointed Ron Gould - the former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada - to lead an independent inquiry into the debacle. |
While Westminster is in charge of overseeing the Holyrood election, the Scottish Parliament has control of the council vote. | |
First Minister Alex Salmond also backed moves to release council ballot papers to investigators looking into the Holyrood vote. | |
His spokesman said further scrutiny of rejected ballots would be in everyone's interest. | |
He added: "The first minister agreed that he would see how this could be done. | |
"He wants to check with the presiding officer and the other party leaders, but he thinks it would be in everyone's interest." | |
Mr Salmond has said he wants a judicial review to be carried out into the election after the findings of the current investigation are published late next month. |