Kavita Bisht
As the UK general election proceeds, doubts regarding the soundness of the voting process are fueled by such problems as postal voting irregularities. Voter turnout has been threatened by logistic problems, and it emerged that the voters in 120 parliament constituencies have not yet received the ballot papers. One however has noticed postal voting as a major concern or factor influencing the poll, whereby the voters, the political analysts and even the electoral commission are now expressing their concern or preparing to counter perceived result manipulation.
The confusion that has characterized the conduct of this year’s vote has made the legal minds fear losing petitions by newly elected Member of Parliament’s victories in affected constituencies. The core of the matter is that the election period is rather small, which has aggravated the time for printing and distributing ballots to voters before today’s important vote. The issue of not being able to vote physically means that many voters like those who use postal votes because of health status, travel, or any other reasons will miss the exercise, thus, there will be a question as to whether the election is fair to all interested parties.
Legal problems may stem from the runners-up in the tightly fought seats, more so in the marginal constituencies, whereby delayed postal votes could tilt the election results. This scenario brings the issue of by-elections and legal cases, which may further delay the controversy of the representation of parliament in the affected regions. In such instances, some of the results could be deemed as illegitimate, hence leading to infinitely more legal battles and recounts or re-elections in each of the constituencies.
Controversies surround the Electoral Commission in a significant way especially in the recent past considering the inadequacies noted in the handling of the postal voting crisis, inadequacies in the overall conceded contingency measures and arrangement in organizing this crucial national event. The free and fair nature of elections is in jeopardy, given that accusations for rigging, as well as administrative blunders, may diminish the citizens’ trust in the democratic system. The Commission has gone to social media to try and calm the people down saying that they are working hard to correct the wrong and guarantee the tallying of all votes, but the public has already been poisoned.
While electoral authorities have said that they have put measures in place such as the increase of voting hours in some areas, the magnitude of the woes of the postal ballots is still disputative. Political parties have demanded free and fair election sqlite and have demanded that issues such as vote tallying be resolved as soon as possible to ensure that all the votes are accounted for and electoral malpractices are checked. They claimed that if the issues raised were investigated thoroughly and appropriate measures were not taken the credibility of the elections could be not be easily restored.
While the nation stands on the verge of election results, the consequences of the post voting postal scandal remain heavy over the head as the climax of British democracy. These problems may indeed not be confined to today’s vote but can become a basis for the future changes in electoral legislation, new procedural measures intended to prevent ‘electoral shocks’ in the future.
It has also brought into the limelight issues concerning the general relevance of electoral reforms in the current society. Such measures have pro solutions insisting on the expansion of hi-tech voting methods which will make voting easier and more efficient while con solutions expressing concern on probable insecurity with such tools. The existing postal vote problems show that the time for a systematic examination of the infrastructure of voting in the UK to determine its suitability for the demands abortion in the current elections.
Thus, the postal voting shambles that has characterized this UK general election speaks volumes about flaws in the electoral process that must be rectified. However, as legal repercussions emerge, and the public’s trust is undermined, the attention needs to be turned towards the protection of every voter and the adherence to the democratic values. The outcome of this election, and the subsequent handling of its associated challenges, will likely set the tone for how future elections are conducted and safeguarded in the United Kingdom.
