Scottish and Welsh voters could soon apply for postal votes online

Voters in Scotland and Wales could soon apply for Holyrood and Senedd postal votes online after MPs backed a change in the law.

The Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill passed its second reading on Friday without a division and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date.

Voters throughout Great Britain can apply for a postal ballot paper online for general elections and national referendums.

But residents of Scotland and Wales have to use a paper form if they would like a postal vote for elections to the Scottish Parliament, Senedd, or their local councils.

If it clears both Houses of Parliament, the Bill would change this system to bring electors in line throughout Great Britain.

Democracy minister Rushanara Ali described the paper form process as one which “could be cumbersome and difficult as a process and one that some electors may have had to rely on others to support them”.

She added the Government is “wholeheartedly in support of the aim of removing that divergence” in voting practices throughout Great Britain.

Ms Ali also said that legislation to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in England “will be introduced in due course, strengthening our democracy and empowering young people to participate in it”.

Conservative shadow housing, communities and local government minister Paul Holmes had earlier vowed to scrutinise the Bill’s details as it progresses, but said the proposal is a “pragmatic and necessary step towards improving voter access”.

He said: “It is important that online applications do not open the door to electoral fraud.”

Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith Tracey Gilbert, who brought forward the proposals as a private member’s bill, said: “If an elector in Scotland or Wales wishes to have a postal or proxy vote for a devolved parliament or local election, they are still required to fill out a paper application form and physically sent it in to be processed.

“This Bill seeks to end this inconsistency and give voters in Scotland and Wales equal choice in how they apply for an absent vote for use in the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru and local elections.”

She added: “It’s critical that we make voting as accessible for everyone, and particularly for young people and for disabled people, to encourage as many people as we can to vote.”

Ms Gilbert’s Bill saw her branded a “modern-day Chartist” by her Labour colleague Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower) for seeking to get more people to vote.

Ms Antoniazzi added: “There is going to be a lot of change coming about, and I feel that there should be equality for all people across the United Kingdom with respect to devolution.”

Claire Hughes, Labour MP for Bangor Aberconwy said: “The inconsistency that exists right now between elections in England, Wales and Scotland is confusing and it makes no sense. Not for voters or for anybody else.

“As members from across this side of the house have said today, we all have a duty to do everything we can to encourage participation in our democracy, particularly at a time where alienation and trust is particularly low.”

The debate in parliament on Friday heard that the proposed changes could widen access to voting for people with neurodiverse conditions, such as autism.

Dunfermline and Dollar Labour MP Graeme Downie: “I was doing some research on this prior to today and was discussing with a constituent about the difficulty for people with autism spectrum disorder to vote, and they say they feel a lot of strong anxiety, both going into the polling station but also any complication in the process to make sure that they are able to exercise their democratic voice.

“Does she agree with me that we must do everything to support those with autistic spectrum disorder, as well as to make voting as accessible as possible?”

Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth Ruth Cadbury said: “Absolutely, people who are neurodiverse or many of them find the process of voting difficult, and just one example of why postal voting is just so valuable to so many people.”