[Acrylic-bob]

A while ago we were discussing whether the voting system was truly annonymous and secret and whether it was possible for the council to tell who voted and how they voted. If I remember rightly we also had someone from an unspecified council saying that such things were not possible as the ballot papers were destroyed after the count.

What then are we to make of the revelations that have come out of the Birmingham Election Court this week. Namely that councils maintain a list called the "Marked List" which contains the details of who did or did not vote at the last election and that it was possible for the judge in the case to examine the ballot papers of the election in question and by means of the serial numbers on the ballot papers to ask individual voters if their vote was intentional and accurate?

Your vote is not secret.

They know if you voted, and WHO you voted for.

It makes one wonder why it is necessary to retain such information and what use it is put to.

Would it be unreasonable to speculate that it might have some influence on the provision or delivery of council services?