THE Labour Party has produced a 30-page manual for its members on how to extract postal votes from the public on their doorsteps.

Although the booklet goes nowhere near advocating the fraud and intimidation that has marred today’s European and local elections, its advice appears to breach the guidelines laid down by the Electoral Commission, which state that supporters should not get involved with the handling of ballot papers.

Among the tips imparted to activists, the booklet suggests nurturing a close relationship with electoral registration officers, delivering completed ballot papers on behalf of voters and carrying a mobile ballot box on polling day, the contents of which are then delivered by activists themselves.

The booklet, entitled The Labour Party Postal Vote Handbook 2004 bears the legend “making life easier, vote by post”.

Volunteers are encouraged to descend on potential voters once postal vote application forms have been delivered, either by doorstepping them or by working the telephones. The manual begins by meticulously outlining the “vital” relationship between a party member and electoral registration officers.

In carefully chosen language it states: “EROs have a significant amount of discretion in how they can administer all-postal ballots. Experience tells us that the way the ERO administers the ballot has a significant impact on the overall turnout. The purpose of an all postal ballot is to increase turnout. If it is also in Labour’s interest to increase overall turnout in your local area then you should work with your ERO to ensure that the proposals for how the ballot will be run will effect higher turnout.”

The advice turns a blind eye to the Electoral Commission’s reservations about the disclosure of polling progress information to political parties and candidates before the close of poll. The document continues: “Your ERO can be a valuable source of information for you. Some will provide you with details of when they are issuing ballot papers, some will provide you with copies of what ballot papers will look like.”

Further on in the handbook, the keen Labour Party worker is furnished with an elaborate timetable and a “postal vote thermometer” to show their progress.

Although volunteers are told not to handle ballot papers, some of the advice is open-ended. Party workers are told: “If asked, collect their completed ballot papers to forward to the returning officer.”

They are also given instructions on how to target voters: “Getting it right once the ballot papers start to arrive on voters’ doormats could be the key to winning or losing. From this point on, every day is polling day and all activity should be geared towards ensuring Labour supporters use their vote.

The manual adds: “Plan to have all your volunteers working either on the telephone or on the doorstep in your most important priority areas as soon as the ballot paper lands there. You could even have a ballot box for people to put their votes in which you can then deliver to the returning officer before close of poll.”

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