Postal votes 'could increase poll fraud'

Is Blair suffering from Diebold envy? Make of this what you will.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F03%2F15%2Fweu15.xml&sSheet=%2Fportal%2F2004%2F03%2F15%2Fixportal.html

Electoral fraud could increase as a result of plans to force millions of people to vote by post in this summer's European elections, police chiefs have warned.

With peers likely to defeat the Government for the second time on this issue tomorrow, the Metropolitan Police Special Branch conclusions will make it harder for ministers to justify their proposals to extend postal voting across almost half of England.

Although the Government officially wants to promote postal voting to make it easier for people to take part in elections, opposition parties believe ministers are influenced by partisan motives.

In 1999 turnout in the European elections was 24 per cent. The Tories won 36 per cent of the vote and Labour 28.