Voting Methods

Mr. Pickles
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what pilots of weekend voting have taken place to date; in which local authority areas; and on which dates.

Mr. Wills
Two local authorities have piloted weekend voting at local elections on both the Saturday and Sunday, in addition to voting on the traditional polling day. They were Manchester in 2000 and the London Borough of Camden in 2002.

15 local authorities have also piloted voting at the weekend at local elections which included voting either on a Saturday or Sunday or both, as well as other advance voting days, in addition to voting on the traditional polling day. These were:

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|        |Name of Authority                                                                                                 |
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|May 2000|Blackburn, Coventry, Kingston-upon-Hull, Knowsley, Norwich, Plymouth, Redditch, St Helens, Sunderland and Watford.|
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|May 2006|Broxbourne and Tyne and Wear (Gateshead, Newcastle, South Tyneside and Sunderland)                                |
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|May 2007|Bedford, Broxbourne and Gateshead                                                                                 |
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