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Aardvark · 09-08-2008, 06:19 PM

Mark Croucher,

Printers can be selected on the favourable way they handle contracts. I have been involved in election observation elsewhere in the world and as observers we occasionally end up at the printers. The reason for this is that there are limits on printing and production costs in many elections. I have been to a printer where the manager explained that the number of leaflets printed, and stated on the leaflet, was x (yes they declare the numbers in some countries). This figure was the one to be used in the declaration of expenses. When the manager left one of the workers, a friend of my interpreter, said 'For x, read x times 4'.

Another printer lost the contract for ballots, that he had had previously, in less than proper circumstances.

Knowing the name and address of the printers is important in transparent elections, that is why it is part of UK electoral law that candidates declare such things. The printing of ballots is something you can legitimately establish by a FOIA request from your election authority.

In an election where people are less than trusting, whether that lack of trust is well founded or not, it is important that all processes are followed to the letter and that every candidate is seen to be treated equally and fairly. Transparency is the order of the day.

We have the John West video debacle, we have the confusion over dual candidacies, we have the story of a hustings chairman praising one candidate over the others and we have a hustings meeting's details wrongly promulgated. This is just what I know of. The fact that there could be an issue over the printing and distribution of ballot papers following from the rule breach adds to the confusion. The fact that there is no certainty about which printers were used and whether the quote process was followed is another issue that muddies the waters.

09-08-2008, 06:19 PM	#168 (permalink)
Aardvark Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Oxonia Posts: 4,256	Mark Croucher, Printers can be selected on the favourable way they handle contracts. I have been involved in election observation elsewhere in the world and as observers we occasionally end up at the printers. The reason for this is that there are limits on printing and production costs in many elections. I have been to a printer where the manager explained that the number of leaflets printed, and stated on the leaflet, was x (yes they declare the numbers in some countries). This figure was the one to be used in the declaration of expenses. When the manager left one of the workers, a friend of my interpreter, said 'For x, read x times 4'. Another printer lost the contract for ballots, that he had had previously, in less than proper circumstances. Knowing the name and address of the printers is important in transparent elections, that is why it is part of UK electoral law that candidates declare such things. The printing of ballots is something you can legitimately establish by a FOIA request from your election authority. In an election where people are less than trusting, whether that lack of trust is well founded or not, it is important that all processes are followed to the letter and that every candidate is seen to be treated equally and fairly. Transparency is the order of the day. We have the John West video debacle, we have the confusion over dual candidacies, we have the story of a hustings chairman praising one candidate over the others and we have a hustings meeting's details wrongly promulgated. This is just what I know of. The fact that there could be an issue over the printing and distribution of ballot papers following from the rule breach adds to the confusion. The fact that there is no certainty about which printers were used and whether the quote process was followed is another issue that muddies the waters. __________________ When in Woking do as the Wokes do. "I do not wish to form my opinions by thoughtlessly quoting others; I wish others to support their opinions by sensibly quoting me." Paul Wesson (Aardvark) 13th April 2008