LONDON: Election officials are not aware of any credible evidence that votes in London’s mayoral polls were cast fraudulently with pencils, in contrast to claims made in a widely shared social media footage.
A 27-second video posted on X, TikTok, and Facebook, zooms in on a ballot paper that has a faint “X” in the box for Conservative Party candidate Susan Hall and a bold, clear “X” in the box for the current mayor, the Labour Party’s Sadiq Khan.
A voiceover says a probe is underway using pencil indentation detection techniques to detect voter fraud. It is believed thousands of votes for the Conservative candidate, Susan Hall, have been rubbed out and replaced with fraudulent votes for Sadiq Khan, the voiceover adds.
The clip also claims Sadiq Khan made the decision to allow polling booths to be equipped with pencils. Sadiq Khan was re-elected as mayor of London on May 4, winning 43.8 percent of the vote (1,088,225) to Hall’s 33 percent (812,397), marking his third consecutive tenure.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission, the independent body that regulates polls in Britain and ensures compliance with electoral laws, said it was not aware of any credible evidence of voter fraud during the mayoral election.
A spokesperson for London Elects, the organization responsible for arranging and managing the Mayor of London and London Assembly polls said that the video is a form of disinformation.
Referring to claims that a probe was underway into fraudulent votes for Khan, the spokesperson said that there was no investigation underway anywhere. The Electoral Commission spokesperson said the provision of pencils at polling stations was standard practice across Britain and was not introduced by Sadiq Khan, and voters can use their own pens if they wish.
Pencils also do not increase the possibility of voter fraud as pen marks can, similarly, be crossed out, the spokesperson added. Electoral Commission guidelines state that staff and independent observers can watch the vote counting process without restriction.
Reuters reported that there was no any electoral fraud in the Mayoral election in London nor any investigation is underway.
