What Is Family Voting and the Concerns at Gorton and Denton

Nigel Farage has reported allegations of "family voting" at the Gorton and Denton by-election to Greater Manchester Police and the Electoral Commission, following claims by independent observers of "extremely high" levels. The question what is family voting has been central to the dispute after Democracy Volunteers said it recorded dozens of apparent breaches of the secret ballot.

What Is Family Voting Explained

Observers and watchdogs use the term "family voting" for cases where a family member is seen to be influencing somebody else's vote; the context gives the example of a relative entering the polling booth with a voter. One organisation described the practice as accompanying voters into or near polling booths and influencing them into voting in a particular way.

How Democracy Volunteers acted

Democracy Volunteers, described by its own statement as "a non-partisan, domestic election observation organisation committed to improving the security and accessibility of elections in the UK and abroad, " deployed four accredited election observers across the constituency. The organisation, founded by Dr John Ault and supported by the Conservative peer and psephologist Prof Robert Haywood, said the team attended 22 of the 45 polling stations while polls were open, spending between 30 and 45 minutes in each, working in pairs.

Observers' findings and numbers

The observing team said it saw family voting in 15 of the 22 polling stations observed and reported 32 cases in total, including nine cases in one polling station alone. It said it observed a sample of 545 voters casting their votes, of which 12% either directed or were affected by family voting. The group said the 32 cases were the highest levels in its 10-year history of observing elections in the UK.

Dr John Ault, director of Democracy Volunteers, said: "Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton. Based on our assessment of today’s observations, we have seen the highest levels of family voting at any election in our 10-year history of observing elections in the UK. " He added: "We rarely issue a report on the night of an election, but the data we have collected today on family voting, when compared to other recent byelections, is extremely high. " The observers compared the figures to another recent Westminster parliamentary byelection, saying in Runcorn and Helsby they saw family voting in 12% of polling stations, affecting 1% of voters, while in Gorton and Denton they observed family voting in 68% of polling stations, affecting 12% of those voters observed.

Responses from parties and police

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, reported the allegations to Greater Manchester Police and the Electoral Commission and urged an investigation into what he described as "extremely high" levels. He said: "Reform has today reported the many cases of 'family voting' to the Electoral Commission and the police. " He also said: "What was witnessed yesterday is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas. If this is what was happening at polling stations just imagine the potential for coercion with postal votes. If action isn't taken now, then we will ensure it is after the next general election. " In a letter to the elections watchdog he urged them to launch a full investigation and to work with police "with a view to prosecutions" and to "assess whether the extent of the irregularities is such that the validity of the election result may be called into question. "

Greater Manchester Police said: "We can confirm a report has been made. We are in the process of reviewing this report and will provide a further update in due course. " The Electoral Commission said it took the claims "very seriously" and would "carefully consider" the report, adding: "We are in close contact with the returning officer and Greater Manchester Police to speedily and carefully review the concerns that have been raised and all the information available. "

Party reactions and other observations

Reform UK were beaten into second place by the Green Party by more than 4, 000 votes at the by-election; Reform said the result was "a victory for sectarian voting and cheating. " A Green Party spokesman said: "This is an attempt to undermine the democratic result and is straight out of the Trump playbook. We've just won a historic by-election by a comfortable margin. We've shown the country that Greens can beat Reform, despite their big business donations. " The Labour party described the reports as "extremely worrying and concerning. " Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, said: "That's not what we want to see in our democracy. So obviously we need to see the evidence and the report, and then make due decision about what authorities should look into this. " Green party leader Zack Polanski said he would back an investigation, adding: "I think it's important that there's full transparency about the democratic process, and if the recommendation is that there should be an inquiry or further steps then yes I'd support that. " Reform UK chair David Bull said "electoral fraud is a stain on democracy" and that "We would support reporting it and making sure that it's done in the spirit and fairness with the law. " Starmer says he will fight on after by-election defeat to Greens.

Observers also reported other issues: Manchester city council said its staff had been trained to look for evidence of voter interference and that no concerns had been reported or raised with them while polls were open. The volunteers said they saw cases of voters being turned away in every case because those voters were not registered to vote in Westminster elections — for example, EU citizens eligible to vote only in local elections. They also reported seeing voters taking photographs of their ballot papers, and one person being authorised to vote despite them already unclear in the provided context.

Legal context and guidance

The observers noted that the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 made "family voting" more clearly a breach of the secret ballot, and said signage to discourage the practice was only seen in 45% of the polling stations they observed. Full election observer accreditation was noted as requiring a code of practice and political impartiality; the Electoral Commission carries out checks in relation to political activity and may reject applications or revoke accreditation if impartiality is not maintained. Democracy Volunteers also said it had been present during the 2024 general election in 204 parliamentary constituencies and more than 1, 000 polling stations across the UK. In a 2022 press release the then-Conservative government described "cross-party concerns about the practice of so-called 'family voting' or 'community voting' in some areas of the country, where it is alleged that some voters are being pressured by their spouses or partners over who to vote for inside polling booths. " The press release cited observations unclear in the provided context.

Party observers watched as votes were counted for the Gorton and Denton by-election while these allegations and the calls for investigation were made.

Closing: The matter is now under review by Greater Manchester Police and the Electoral Commission, and the debate over what steps should follow has drawn statements and calls for investigation from multiple parties and observers.