No, this would never happen in Our Country would it?
Postal ballots in the Copeland Council, Cumbria North West European election region are being stored in easily opened cardboard boxes until counting day, reports Clive Jefferson, British National Party regional organiser.
“The boxes being used are of extremely poor quality,” Mr Jefferson said. “This is extremely alarming because the council has steel boxes but they are deliberately not using them.”
Mr Jefferson pointed out that Copeland council have never before used anything else but the steel boxes. “All of a sudden, because our support has grown in the region, we are confronted with cardboard boxes in which the postal and other votes are going to be stored until they are counted,” he said.
The BNP polled 40 percent of the vote in the Kells by-election in December, Mr Jefferson said. “Why is it that as our support rises to an all-time high, the council sees fit to stop using steel ballot boxes and switch to poor quality cardboard ones which could easily be tampered with?”
“This is an outrage and an invitation for electoral fraud,” he said. “I have made the strongest possible complaints to the returning officer in Copeland Council and to the North West returning officer. It appears that despite my best efforts, the security of the English ballot has been reduced to a pile of flat pack cardboard boxes.”
Mr Jefferson appealed for all those concerned about a free and fair election to telephone or email Copeland and Manchester Council, and politely voice their concerns over this matter.
“A polite email or call to the Whitehaven News to firmly express your outrage about this disgraceful situation would also be appreciated,” Mr Jefferson said.
Copeland Borough Council can be emailed at info@copeland.gov.uk or called on 0845 054 8600.
Manchester Council can be emailed at city.council@manchester.gov.uk or called on 0161 234 5000
.