Recommendation 3

While the Electoral Commission have rightly reported that each general election on which they have reported was well run, there have also been repeated concerns raised. While we do not doubt the Electoral Commission’s overall assessment of this or previous elections, we do note that there could be improvements to make the assessment criteria more rigorous and measurable, allowing for better comparability between elections. This includes where stresses are being felt and increasing, and where the existing system needs to be adapted to the way people are living their lives. It is good that the public opinion survey shows a high level of trust in the election but, by itself, this should not be taken as a measure of how well run an election is. It is vital that there are more objective measures that can be pointed to. (Conclusion, Paragraph 15)