Enable electors to vote beyond 10pm: Lords Committee

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has urged the government to make changes to electoral law before the next general election to prevent the disenfranchisement of voters still queueing when polling stations close at 10pm.

The committee took evidence from the Electoral Commission last year following the chaotic scenes at a number of polling stations at the 2010 general election. In its subsequent report, published today, the committee said that the law should be changed to ensure that voters who are present, or in a queue, at a polling station at the close of polls should be entitled to vote.

The report said that the changes should be made before the Law Commission's review of electoral law, which is due to report in 2017, was complete. The next general election is scheduled for 7 May 2015.

Baroness Jay, Chairman of the Lords Constitution Committee, said: "If we are to ensure there is never a repeat of the chaotic scenes we saw in 2010 the Government must now amend the law to ensure voters in a polling station, or in the queue at a polling station, at 10pm on polling day are allowed to vote.

“This cannot wait for a Law Commission review that doesn’t report until 2017, the Government should make these changes before the next general election."

A copy of the report can be downloaded at the following link: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/constitution/ElectoralCommission/votingclosepollreport.pdf