More election notice needed, watchdog says

The public should be given more prior notice of a general election, a report from the Electoral Commission has recommended.

At present, the prime minister need only provide 17 working days' notice between the issuing of a writ to returning officers in constituencies to election day, but the watchdog called for this to be increased to 25 working days, analogous with local government.

Such a move has been mooted before by the commission in 2003 but its fresh recommendation comes "in light of comments we have received from electoral administrators about increasing pressures during the time available for printing and processing postal ballot packs" it said in a new report on Friday.

Should the watchdog's recommendation be taken on board, an announcement of a general election could be made 36 days before voters go the polls, once weekends and bank holidays have been taken into account.

The prime minister has also proposed that the Commons be given the final say over election timing, with MPs to vote on the dissolution of Parliament for an election in future.

Three reports, on this year's local elections in England and Wales and the mayoral election in London, were published simultaneously on Friday.

Although the elections went smoothly, the Commission raised concerns about electronic counting in the 2008 London mayoral elections, and it was suggested that more time is needed for the printing and processing of postal votes.

A clear national strategy should be put in place for electronic counting, the Electoral Commission stated, so that a full cost benefit analysis is implemented, as well as "analysis of the legal changes required to support it and appropriate safeguards to ensure that electronic counting is accurate and transparent".