Voters in parts of England will have their say in the local elections today (Thursday May 4). Some 230 local authorities are holding elections, with hundreds of candidates eager to gain seats.
Just under a third of local authorities are having all-out elections, where every seat is up for grabs. In Greater Manchester, these include Oldham, Wigan, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford and Bolton.
When visiting the polling station to cast your vote, you might notice they are traditionally stocked with pencils instead of pens. Pencils, which used to be attached to a string inside the polling booth, have always been supplied in polling stations for local elections, general elections and referenda. There are a number of reasons for this.
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The Electoral Commission (EC) was forced to explain why pencils were used when the issue was raised by a concerned voter. Kenneth Priestly wrote to the commission to say: "It has come to my attention that pencils have been used in poling stations, the mark is erasable. Given this could give arise to fraud why don't you use and supply black pens."
And during the general election campaign in 2017, social media was flooded with warnings that pencil marks could be rubbed out leading to concerns over voting fraud. The EC's response stated that the use of a pen or pencil when completing the ballot paper is not specified in legislation, but "in the UK, pencils are traditionally used for the purposes of marking ballot papers and are made available inside polling stations for voters to use."
It argued that the use of pencils does not itself increase the likelihood of electoral fraud, adding that 'while pencil marks can be rubbed out, similarly, pen marks can be crossed out.' There are also practical reasons pencils are supplied, including that they won't run out of ink, they're cheaper than pens and they are less likely to cause smudges which could render a ballot paper spoiled.
The commission added that the integrity of the election process is maintained from the point that a voter marks their ballot paper to the declaration of the result. Safeguards, including the requirement for seals to be attached to the black ballot boxes at the close of the polls, have been written into legislation.
Despite this, it is perfectly acceptable for a voter to bring their own pen to mark their ballot paper.
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