Observers Report High Levels of Family Voting in Gorton and Denton By-Election

Election observers have reported significant instances of illegal 'family voting' during the Gorton and Denton by-election, prompting concerns about electoral integrity.

Democracy Volunteers, an election monitoring organization, deployed four accredited observers across 22 of the 45 polling stations in the constituency. They reported witnessing family voting in 68% of the observed stations, involving 12% of the 545 voters they monitored. Family voting, where individuals influence or direct each other's voting choices, was prohibited under the Election Bill of 2023.

John Ault, Director of Democracy Volunteers, stated, "Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton. Based on our assessment of today’s observations, we have seen the highest levels of family voting at any election in our 10-year history of observing elections in the UK."

In response, Manchester City Council, overseeing the by-election, expressed disappointment that these concerns were not raised during polling hours. A spokesperson for the Acting Returning Officer said, "Polling station staff are trained to look out for any evidence of undue influence on voters. No such issues have been reported today. If Democracy Volunteers were so concerned about alleged issues, they could and should have raised them with us during polling hours so that immediate action could be taken."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage commented on the reports, stating, "This is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas."

The by-election was held to fill the seat vacated by Andrew Gwynne, who resigned citing health reasons. The outcome of the election is awaited.