Voter anonymity at risk

Not only, by all accounts, have ballot papers been sent at least a week late but voters are required to sign their names on the ballot paper. It also seems that accompanying instructions on how to vote are actually from last year and therefore don't help people with the new setup.

Secret ballots are a standard feature in Western democratic elections. Anyone with experience in youth politics, and politics in general for that matter, knows how much chaos would be caused by somebody finding out who voted for whom.

I'll be seeking assurances from the ERS that the ballot papers don't go anywhere near CCHQ...

10.45am update: An urgent meeting in CCHQ today was assured that the part of the ballot papers that have the voters' names on will be guillotined off before going to the count.