Ballot paper probe move to be debated

Published on Tuesday 17 July 2007 11:51

MOVES to let investigators study ballot papers involved in the Holyrood voting fiasco will today be debated at Westminster.

MPs will vote on a move to amend election rules to give investigators access to the papers.

The Electoral Commission has appointed Ron Gould, former assistant chief electoral officer of Canada, to lead an inquiry in the debacle in which as many as 140,000 votes were rejected.

May's elections for Holyrood and local authorities used a new design of ballot paper for the Parliament vote, and a new preferential voting system for the council seats.

The election saw the SNP emerge as Holyrood victors by a margin of just one seat, in a contest in which the number of rejected ballot papers topped 140,000 compared with just 15,000 rejected papers in 1999.

The Scotland Office denied it was dragging its heels in the investigation. A spokesman said: "The Scotland Office is actively co-operating with Mr Gould's independent inquiry team."