An election monitoring group has raised alarm over what it called “unprecedented” levels of family voting during the Gorton and Denton by-election today.
Democracy Volunteers said its observers attended 22 of the constituency’s 45 polling stations and witnessed family voting in 15 of them.
Across a sample of 545 voters, the group recorded 32 incidents in total, including nine cases at a single polling station.
John Ault, the watchdog’s director, said: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton.”
He continued by saying the scale of the problem was the highest recorded in its 10-year history of monitoring UK elections and had prompted the rare decision to publish findings on polling day.
He contrasted the figures with the recent Runcorn and Helsby by-election, where family voting was seen in 12 per cent of polling stations and affected around 1 per cent of voters, compared with 68 per cent of stations and 12 per cent of voters in Gorton and Denton.The findings came as voting closed in a fiercely contested by-election that could carry wider implications for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Family voting is where relatives enter polling booths together and influence each other’s choices, has been observed by Democracy Volunteers, an election watchdog.
It was made a criminal offence in Britain under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.
The south-east Manchester seat has been described as one of the most unpredictable contests in recent years, following the resignation of Andrew Gwynne after his suspension from Labour over offensive WhatsApp messages.
Polling opened at 7am and closed at 10pm in what is only the second parliamentary by-election held under Sir Keir’s government.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT...
Reform UK has 'done all it can' to clinch victory in Gorton and Denton, source claims
Reform UK has "done all it can" to clinch victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, a party source has claimed.
The insider said: "We have had over 1,000 activists out in the seat today, and we have done all we can in our 440th target seat."
Should Matt Goodwin win tonight's hotly contested race, he would become the party's ninth sitting MP.
Reform UK's Matt Goodwin 'deeply concerned' over illegal family voting reports
Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin has said he is "deeply concerned" about the reports of illegal family voting emerging from Gorton and Denton.
The former professor said: “Given the reports we are reading in UK media about family voting and sectarianism, I am deeply concerned about the extent to which the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election is a free, fair, and democratic election.”
What can be expected throughout the night?
Ballot boxes arrive at Manchester Central Convention Complex
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After polling stations across Gorton and Denton closed at 10pm, how long will it be before we find out the winner?
The typical order of business for a by-election of this size goes as follows:
11pm to 1am - After ballot boxes begin to arrive, the "verification" stage begins. Local officials confirm whether the number of ballots matches up with the number of votes cast at polling stations across the constituency.
1am to 3am - After the ballot papers have been verified, the ballot papers from the polling stations are mixed with the postal vote ballot papers. Once this is completed, the counting of votes for candidates begins.
3:30am to 5am - If there is a clear winner, the council's Returning Officer is then able to make an official declaration for the winner. However, if a race is tight, local officials may conduct a recount.
Tonight's race is anticipated to be incredibly close, so a recount could take place, pushing back confirmation of an official winner until the early hours of Friday morning.
Manchester in-fighting breaks out over illegal family voting as council rages at election observers
Manchester City Council has hit out at Democracy Volunteers after the election monitoring group raised concerns surrounding unprecedented levels of “family voting” during the Gorton and Denton by-election.
A spokesman for the council's acting returning officer insisted that "no such issues have been reported today".
An explosive statement released by the council read: "If Democracy Volunteers were so concerned about alleged issues they could and should have raised them with us during polling hours so that immediate action could be taken.
"We have operated a central by-election hub which was has been rapidly responding to reported issues during the day, in liaison with the police - who had a presence at every polling station - where necessary.
"It is extremely disappointing that Democracy Volunteers have waited until after polls have closed to make such claims."
Election watchdog flags 'unprecedented' family voting levels in Gorton and Denton by-election
An election monitoring group has voiced alarm over what it described as unusually high levels of “family voting” during the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Democracy Volunteers said its observers visited 22 of the constituency’s 45 polling stations, spending up to 45 minutes at each, and witnessed family voting at 15 of those locations.
Across a sample of 545 voters, the group recorded 32 instances of family voting, including nine cases at a single polling station.
John Ault, the organisation’s director, said: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton.”
He added that it was the highest level the group had recorded in its 10 years of monitoring UK elections and had prompted the rare decision to publish findings on polling day.
By comparison, he said a recent by-election in Runcorn and Helsby saw family voting in 12 per cent of polling stations, affecting around 1 per cent of voters, whereas in Gorton and Denton it was observed in 68 per cent of stations and affected 12 per cent of those monitored.
'I salute you' - Reform UK's candidate Matt Goodwin thanks his supporters during the campaign
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Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate for Gorton & Denton wrote on X: "Polls have closed. I would like to take this moment to thank all Reform members who have supported our campaign.
"As I said, we are not a political party. We are a movement and a family.
"I salute you."
RECAP: The 2024 election results for Gorton & Denton
In the 2024 general election, the Labour candidate Andrew Gwynne won by a 13,413 majority. The breakdown of the results were:
Labour (Andrew Gwynne) - 18,555 votes, 51%
Reform UK (Lee Moffitt) - 5,142 votes, 14%
Green Party (Amanda Gardener) - 4,810 votes, 13%
Workers Party of Britain (Amir Burney) - 3,766 votes, 10%
Conservative (Ruth Welsh) - 2,888 votes, 8%
Liberal Democrats (John Reid) - 1,399 votes, 4%
RECAP: Today's candidates
The list of candidates who ran for the Gorton & Denton seat are as follows:
Nick Buckley - Advance UK
Hugo Wils - Communist League Election Campaign
Charlotte Cadden - Conservative Party
Hannah Spencer - Green Party
Angeliki Stogia - Labour Party
Jackie Pearcey - Liberal Democrats
Dan Clarke - Libertarian Party
Matt Goodwin - Reform UK
Joseph O'Meachair - Rejoin EU
Sebastian Moore - Social Democratic Party
Sir Oink A-Lot - The Official Monster Raving Loony Party
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