Diane calls for change to voting system to ensure Hackney folk are never turned away from polls again
Diane spoke yesterday of the need to change voting systems to ensure people in Hackney are never denied their democratic right to vote ever again.
Diane spoke in a debate on Parliament late last night about how we should adopt a system used in the presidential election of Barack Obama which ensured any voter queuing at the close of polls, still had the chance to cast their vote.
She also spoke about her dismay at not knowing exactly how many voters, including many first time voters, were turned away from polls despite queuing well ahead of the closing time.
Diane and Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, made an official complaint to Hackney’s Returning Officer, Tim Shields in May after police had to be called as some angry voters staged a sit in at polling stations.
He turned down his fee as a result of the problems and asked for it to be used on a facility in the community.
Diane said last night:
“I wish to put on the record how concerned people in Hackney were by the debacle that we had at the polls earlier this year.
The number of people who were turned away is an underestimate, because in my constituency hundreds of people came out after work to vote, saw the queues, went away, came back again, saw the queues and went away again, so we will never know how many people were put off voting.
I wish to stress that in a democracy the state has a very basic responsibility to allow people to cast their vote.
This matter caused great concern in Hackney and it was very demoralising, particularly for people casting their vote for the first time. Voting is a fundamental right, and it is a fundamental duty of Government to allow people who want to vote, and who have come out in good time, to vote.”
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