by Brian Bamford
WHEN earlier this month Rochdale's Labour Councillor Faisal Rana confessed to voting a couple of times during the local elections last May, it wasn't the first toxic ballot box event to hit Rochdale. Multiple voting strikes at the heart of democracy, but it only becomes possible if people are able to register to vote at different addresses to apply for postal votes and then cast them in the elections. It helps when ballot registers go missing or are 'not returned' as happened during the local elections in 2016.That was in the same ward of Spotland and Falinge, where Councillor Faisal Rana, the electoral fraud who nearly got away with it, submitted his extra vote this year, pressumably voting for himself in this ward, which is allowed, although the town hall said that information is confidential and double voting is certainly not allowed.
Mailonline reporter Bryony Jewell For Mailonline on the 15th, August, commented on this:
'Steve Rumbelow, Rochdale council's chief executive and returning officer for the borough, said the town hall worked with police and cooperated fully with the investigation.
'Mr Rumbelow said: "As returning officer I am grateful to the person who brought this matter to the attention of the authorities and supportive of the action taken".'
That person to whom Mr. Rumbelow said he was 'grateful' was Rochdale's Sherlock Holmes of the Ballot Box Carl Faulkner, who had himself stood as an independent against Councillor Rana in the now notorious ward of Spotland and Falinge. According to Carl Faulkner, Councillor Rana breached the law no less than three times: once when he registered at two separate addresses- one in Norden where he lives with his wife, and one in Spotland and Falinge where he doesn't live; then he broke the law again when he applied for two postal votes at each address; and then finally when he cast two votes illegally.
That was this year, but in the 2016 local elections in the same troubled ward of Spotland and Failinge a marked ballot register went missing. This transgression was again exposed by Carl Faulkner and to this day this marked register is still missing.
Lasr year on Friday the 17th, November, Mr. Rumbelow wrote as follows to Mick Coats, the Green candidate in the ward, who had also complained about the missing register:
'Unfortunately, the register cannot be located and the Presiding Officer has been spoken to at length about the consequences of failure to return this. The person in question will not be employed on election duty at future elections.'
Rumbelow added: 'The Council [in Rochdale] works proactively to tackle electoral fraud and risks of electoral fraud. I am satisfied that my staff took prompt and appropriate action when the loss of the register was brought to their attention.'
He concluded by saying:
'I consider this matter is now closed.'
It's a trusting relationship that Mr. Rumbelow wants us to embrace.
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