'Whitewash' as elections watchdog brushes aside family voting evidence: No reference to claims first raised by the Mail

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 17:18 EDT, 13 September 2026 | Updated: 17:18 EDT, 13 September 2026 A politics watchdog has been accused of a whitewash after it 'brushed aside' evidence of illegal family voting at elections this year.After examining ballots across England, the Electoral Commission said there were 'very low levels of proven electoral fraud' despite admitting the issue 'concerns some voters'.In a report, it insisted that staff at polling stations had intervened 'to protect the secrecy of the ballot' when they needed to.But it made no reference to evidence from presiding officers, which was first revealed by the Daily Mail, that attempts to influence voters had been witnessed at 50 polling stations in Birmingham alone.This evidence, including a report that one man tried to 'influence voting' using 'Islamic gestures, blinking eyes, hand signals', is now being examined by West Midlands Police.The commission was warned on election day itself that voters were being harassed as they approached polling stations in Tower Hamlets, east London. Concerns were also raised that family voting – where family members try to enter a booth together and collude over which candidate to pick – had taken place at the Gorton and Denton by- election in Greater Manchester in February.But the report said the allegations were 'fully investigated' and a probe by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) 'found no evidence of any intent to influence or stop any person from voting at the by-election'. It added: 'Anyone attempting to interfere with how a person votes is breaking the law. Polling station staff are trained to intervene where necessary to protect the secrecy of the ballot and did so during these elections.' A politics watchdog has been accused of a whitewash after it 'brushed aside' evidence of illegal family voting at elections. (Pictured: Tory peer Lord Hayward, who said 'there is a problem')But Tory peer Lord Hayward, who sponsored the 2023 Ballot Secrecy Act which made it a criminal offence to try to influence voting in polling booths, said: 'The commission seems to be behaving like the three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.'I hope sooner or later it will wake up and admit that there is a problem.'Tory local government spokesman Katie Lam said: 'It is deeply concerning that this report appears to brush aside serious allegations of family voting.'The secrecy of the ballot is a fundamental democratic safeguard and the law must be applied equally, without fear or favour. The commission and the Government should be making sure that the law is enforced and that every voter can exercise their democratic rights free from pressure or intimidation.'The report also found that 55 per cent of candidates suffered harassment or abuse. Many were trolled online but some also suffered verbal abuse from rivals. Some candidates were even followed down streets or attacked.Some 59 per cent of Reform UK's candidates experienced inappropriate behaviour or threats, followed by those standing for Labour (54 per cent) and the Greens (43 per cent).One candidate, whose affiliation was not disclosed, said: 'Someone attempted to attack me when I visited their property, initially went to throw a punch at me, then spat at me [and] I moved out of the way.'The Electoral Commission said: '[We have] been in contact with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council. As the police are currently reviewing this matter, we cannot comment further at this stage.'The report also includes research which shows that electoral fraud remains a concern for some voters. The commission works closely with the police, local authorities and the electoral community to prevent, detect and take action against electoral fraud to ensure that voting remains secret and secure.'