§ Mr. HammondTo ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission is examining the case for changing the method of ordering candidates' names on ballot papers at elections. [125423]
§ Mr. ViggersYes. In its report, "Ballot Paper Design", published last month, the Commission indicated its concern that alphabetical discrimination could exist in multi-seat elections, while acknowledging that the information available at present was inconclusive.
3WThe Commission intends to support further research to establish the extent of the influence of alphabetic discrimination prior to making a final recommendation to the Government. In the meantime it has recommended that legislation be introduced to enable the piloting of alternative listing methods in order to assist in determining the impact of the present arrangements.