Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Rejected
Consensus on electoral law simplification not fully embraced by government
Conclusion
There is a clear consensus in our evidence around the necessity and benefits of simplification and consolidation of electoral law. This is not a new position and has been reiterated by the practitioners and experts of electoral law for some time, and this appeared to have been accepted by this and the previous Government. We are concerned however by 65 some of the evidence the Government gave to us that suggest it does not view simplification and consolidation as a necessary route forward. (Conclusion, Paragraph 44)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the calls for consolidation but rejects undertaking major reform now due to the extensive time and cross-Parliamentary effort required, prioritising its existing manifesto commitments and ongoing Review of Electoral Registration and Conduct, which specifically excluded consolidation.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
While we understand the calls for consolidation of electoral law, major reform would require careful consideration and an extensive amount of time. Full-scale consolidation and simplification, as called for by the sector and recommended by the Committee, would require in-depth review and modernisation alongside consolidation. Achieving this would be the job of more than one Parliament. We must also be realistic when considering the amount of time for any government to achieve the promises set out in the manifesto upon which it was elected. Commitments made to the electorate must be a priority. This Government already has an ambitious agenda to improve our elections, including giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections and strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. We are focused on delivering that agenda. However, we are cognisant of the challenges facing elections teams and will continue to look at areas which help to modernise and improve electoral process and delivery. We have already begun work to look more closely at this through our Review of Electoral Registration and Conduct. This Review and its recommendations provide an important first step in identifying essential changes which are needed to address the biggest risks and challenges in electoral delivery. We are confident that these measures, combined with the approach to electoral reform outlined in our recently published Strategy, will deliver much needed improvements for both administrators and electors, and the proposals put forward have been generally welcomed by the electoral sector. It should also be noted that consolidation of electoral law was out of scope of the Review due to the scale of work involved.