Lib Dems highlight "cost to the reputation of democracy in Bedford Borough" of £177,000 electronic counting trial

7.41.43pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 2nd Aug 2007

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have responded to the publication of the Electoral Commission's report into the electoral pilots held in May by highlighting the damaging cost to the reputation of democracy in Bedford Borough of the £177,000 electronic counting trial.

Commenting on the issue, Liberal Democrat Cllr Dave Hodgson said:

"Unsurprisingly, the aspect of the electoral pilot which most concerned the Electoral Commission was the fifteen-hour electronic count. It raises a number of issues which echo the concerns voiced by the Liberal Democrat Group before this ill-conceived trial was naively waved through by the other parties. For example, it questions the practice which saw individual count staff adjudicating upon different ballot papers from different elections. This was just one of the problems to arise from running this pilot project when we were holding our most complex elections ever.'

"The report also highlights the findings of a local consultation exercise carried out after the election, in which only one-third of respondents said they had few or no concerns about electronic counting. This is deeply disturbing, as a sound democracy is dependent upon trust in the system. The cost in terms of the damage to the reputation of democracy in Bedford Borough is far greater than even the £177,000 spent on running the electronic counting pilot. We will seek to ensure that the clear lessons that emerge from this trial are learnt in order that this damage can be repaired."