What is family voting? Reform UK makes 'cheating' claim following Gorton and Denton by-election defeat as official observers make reports
The Electoral Commission has urged those with concerns over “family voting” in the Gorton and Denton by-election to go to the police amid claims of “cheating”.
Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the contentious by-election with 40.6% of the vote. She defeated her nearest rival, Matt Goodwin of Reform UK, by 4,402 votes during the election, which took place on Thursday, February 26.
However, Reform UK have hit out with claims of “cheating” after election observer group Democracy Volunteers reported claims that it had witness “concerningly high levels” of family voting in multiple polling stations. Party leader Nigel Farage said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.”
Manchester City Council said that no issued were reported to polling station staff while polls were opened, adding that it was “extremely disappointing” that Democracy Volunteers has waited until the polls closed at 10pm to raise their concerns.
John Ault, director of Democracy Volunteers, said that it “is a normal international standard not to issue a comment until after a voting has finished” and that “we posed questions about family voting in several polling stations”.
The Electoral Commission has commented on the claims, saying that observers are expected to raise any potential fraud or irregularity concerns “on the spot” at the pool. Those with concerns that an offence had taken place were instructed to report it to the police.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: “We are aware of the report. Electoral offences are a matter for the police. We encourage anyone who believes an offence has occurred to report it to the police.
“The statutory electoral observer Code of Practice says that electoral observers may bring potential irregularities, fraud or significant problems to the attention of elected officials on the spot.
“We provide advice and guidance to returning officers which supports their training of electoral staff and is available to staff in polling stations to guide decision making on polling day.”
What is family voting?
Family voting is the term given to the illegal practice of two people sharing a voting booth and possibly directing each other on how to vote in an election.
Expanding more on Reform UK’s claims of “cheating”, party chairman David Bull told Sky News: “The Green Party appealed to the Muslim vote. 33% of that constituency is Muslim. They printed their leaflets in Urdu.”
He added: “I’m worried about electoral fraud generally. Am I saying it changed the outcome of this election?
“No, but I think what we do need to do is to make sure that these elections, every election, is free, democratic and fair.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the reports as “concerning”, adding: “People should be able to vote in a free way and not subject to any coercion, and so it would be right that the appropriate authorities, including potentially the Electoral Commission, look into those reports.”
A Greens spokesperson said: “This is an attempt to undermine the democratic result and is straight out of the Trump playbook.
“We’ve just won a historic by-election by a comfortable margin. We’ve shown the country that Greens can beat Reform, despite their big business donations.”