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    Electoral fraud 'cost Tories target seats'

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    1st October 2010

    The co-chairman of the Conservatives has claimed that the party did not win in "at least three seats" at the general election because of electoral fraud.

    Baroness Warsi, who is the first female Muslim cabinet minister, told the New Statesman that fraud is "predominantly within the Asian community".

    "I have to look back and say we didn't do well in those communities, but was there something over and above that we could have done? Well, actually not, if there is going to be voter fraud."

    She also claimed:

    "At least three seats where we lost, where we didn't gain the seat, based on electoral fraud.

    "Now, could we have planned for that in the campaign? Absolutely not."

    However, she declined to name the constituencies.

    A Labour party spokesman told the BBC that Baroness Warsi's claims are unsubstantiated and suggested she share any evidence she has with the authorities.

    British citizens will be asked to register individually to vote from 2014, it was announced last month.

    Cabinet office minister Mark Harper said it was time to end the present system whereby one person from each household is responsible for submitting the names of all those eligible to vote in their property.

    In a statement to the Commons, he said: "Household registration harks back to a time when registration was the responsibility of the head of the household.

    "Access to a right as fundamental as voting should not be dependent on someone else.

    "We need a better system of keeping up with people who move house or need to update their registration for other reasons.

    "Individual registration provides an opportunity to move forward towards a system centred around the individual citizen."

    The minister said the current system was too vulnerable to fraud, which "knocks the confidence" of voters.

    From 2014, before being added to the register, voters will have to provide their date of birth, signature and national insurance number.

    The details will then be checked with DWP to check the person is genuine.

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