Local Elections

Mr. Heald
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what factors will be considered when evaluating value for money in assessing applications for (a) election pilots and (b) e-voting pilots for the May 2007 local elections.

Bridget Prentice
Predicted expenditure or savings by the authorities will be taken into account in the selection of pilots for 2007.

Although pilots are likely to cost more per vote to implement compared to traditional voting methods, value for money derives from what any pilot provides in terms of lessons learnt which inform how elections can be modernised and administrated more efficiently in the future. The maximisation of that learning against the actual moneys spent is what underpins value-for-money considerations for any pilot or series of pilots.