Latest news with #Anonyvoter
Daily Record
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Former Labour MP calls for party to ditch 'rigged' voting system
Scottish Labour members have said they are concerned the system could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates. A former Labour MP has called for the party to halt the use of a controversial computer system which is part of a Met police fraud probe. Beth Winter said she was appalled to learn that Scottish Labour has been using the Anonyvoter system to help select candidates for the next Holyrood election. It comes after the Sunday Mail revealed that members in Scotland had contacted the party over fears the computer software could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates from standing as MSPs. Similar concerns emerged about Labour's selection process for the 2024 general election with the Met police currently investigating reports of voter fraud in a London Labour branch. Winter said: ' The system shouldn't be used for any future contests because of the concerns that I and others have already raised. There's no independent oversight whatsoever. 'The system is highly questionable and it should not be used under any circumstances. It is not transparent at all.' Winter, former MP for Cynon Valley in Wales, called for an independent investigation into the Anonyvoter system after she lost her selection process in 2023 as did Sam Tarry - the partner of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. Despite winning the majority of votes from those who attended their selection contests in person, both Winter and Tarry lost via the online vote. Scottish Labour members have said they are concerned the system could be manipulated to block left-wing candidates standing for Holyrood and pointed to a recent selection in Dundee between MSPs Mercedes Villalba and Michael Marra. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Despite winning the vote in person Villalba lost to Marra due to the online votes with Marra receiving a significantly higher number of votes through Anonyvoter. Members who contacted the party asking for reassurance or for another system to be used were either ignored or told that there had been no issues in Scotland and Anonyvoter would continue to be used in selections. Winter said those hoping to stand for election for Labour should demand a contest without the computer system. She said: 'The best advice is to insist on an in-person hustings and a paper ballot because once Anonyvoter is included then there is no independent oversight. 'There needs to be independent tellers overseeing the count, trade union people involved as well. That is the only way that any trust can be had in the selection process because I have absolutely no trust in Anonyvoter whatsoever.' In March last year Winter instructed lawyers in an effort to understand what happened in her selection process. She said despite reassurances the party failed to provide data they had previously agreed to hand over. She quit Labour in November 2024, accusing party bosses of 'protecting the ruling class' and having an 'authoritarian agenda'.
The National
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Fears 'rigged' Scottish Labour voting system boxes out left-wing MSPs
Anonyvoter, a controversial computer voting programme involved in a Met police fraud probe, is used by the party alongside traditional in-person and postal voting. But The Sunday Mail reports there are concerns it is being rigged following a selection for the Dundee West constituency. Earlier this month, Scottish Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba – who is considered more left-wing – lost out to Michael Marra, who is often seen as party leader Anas Sarwar's right-hand man and potential successor. READ MORE: High street in Scottish Highland town closed due to alleyway fire Villalba won the vote in the room but lost out after online votes through Anonyvoter were taken into account. It comes amid concerns over the past few years that Labour leadership have actively been purging the party of its left-wing members and politicians. The Sunday Mail reports that several members have contacted the party with concerns. One said: 'I emailed our local branch secretary last month as I was concerned about the fact we were having to use Anonyvoter but I didn't get any reply. 'I know someone else who also contacted the party's leadership team directly and was told that there had been no problem with Anonyvoter in Scotland and it was being used here. End of discussion. 'People are very sceptical of the system and don't understand why we are still using it when there were such problems before.' Mercedes Villalba Another member added: 'I'm worried that what we saw for the Westminster selections is now going to happen for the Holyrood ones. It seems to be already happening - just look at the situation in Dundee.' A former Labour staffer, meanwhile, told the newspaper: 'I can say that in standard parliamentary selections, ballot counting is carried out by staff but with clear oversight from CLP officials to ensure transparency and trust in the process. 'With Anonyvoter, that critical layer of local oversight is simply missing. We've already seen serious concerns raised about its accuracy and flaws, most notably in Croydon where the situation escalated to the point of police involvement.' Anonyvoter has previously insisted that its software was unrelated to the incident in Croydon and said Labour's database was to blame A Scottish Labour spokesman said: 'We have full confidence in the integrity of both selection processes and the use of Anonyvoter. 'Labour candidates are selected by the votes of local members who select the person they believe should represent them. 'All selections are carried out in line with rules and procedures agreed and overseen by Scottish Labour's Executive Committee.'
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Fears over Scottish Labour using 'rigged' voting system involved in Met fraud probe
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Members have already raised concerns about the online voting system being used by the party, which is part of a Met police fraud probe in England. Scottish Labour members fear a controversial computer voting programme involved in a Met police fraud probe could be used to block left-wing candidates from standing as MSPs. Anonyvoter, an online voting software, is being used by the party to pick candidates for the next general election, often alongside postal and in-person voting. But the party has previously faced calls to ban the Anonyvoter system after it was criticised by unions and candidates who lost their reselections in favour of centrist candidates in the 2024 election. Former MPs Angela Rayner' s partner Sam Tarry and Welsh MP Beth Winter instructed lawyers to challenge the party over the system's usage claiming it could be tampered with. Both Tarry and Winter had received more votes from those who attended their selection contests in person, but lost out to their rivals via the online system. Tarry called for the party to stop using Anonyvoter and said it was 'used to deselect me, rigged to change the result' while Winter called for a full investigation. Now several Scottish Labour sources have told the Sunday Mail they fear the same issues are happening in Scotland following a selection for the Dundee West constituency earlier this month. Left-wing MSP Mercedes Villalba lost out on standing as an MSP in favour of Michael Marra, who has been touted as a potential successor to Anas Sarwar. Despite winning the vote in the room Villalba lost the contest due to the online votes cast through Anonyvoter. Although the full tally is confidential the Sunday Mail understands that Marra received 'almost triple' the votes of Villalba online. Trade unions previously demanded the party stop using the system for selections after claims it could be rigged in favour of certain candidates. John McDonnell, former shadow chancellor, claimed Prime Minister Keir Starmer was on a 'search and destroy' mission to weed out the party's left wing and Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, has also faced similar accusations in Scotland. The Sunday Mail understands several Labour members have contacted the party with concerns about the use of Anonyvoter in Scotland. One such member said: 'I emailed our local branch secretary last month as I was concerned about the fact we were having to use Anonyvoter but I didn't get any reply. 'I know someone else who also contacted the party's leadership team directly and was told that there had been no problem with Anonyvoter in Scotland and it was being used here. End of discussion. 'People are very sceptical of the system and don't understand why we are still using it when there were such problems before.' Another member who has also raised concerns about Anonyvoter said: 'I'm worried that what we saw for the Westminster selections is now going to happen for the Holyrood ones. It seems to be already happening - just look at the situation in Dundee.' A former Labour staffer said that Anonyvoter removed 'critical oversight' from selections and said: 'I can say that in standard parliamentary selections, ballot counting is carried out by staff but with clear oversight from CLP officials to ensure transparency and trust in the process. 'With Anonyvoter, that critical layer of local oversight is simply missing. We've already seen serious concerns raised about its accuracy and flaws, most notably in Croydon where the situation escalated to the point of police involvement.' Alongside Tarry and Winter's concerns ahead of the General Election, the East Croydon Labour branch admitted there had been manipulation of member's data prior to its candidate selection and is now being probed by the Met. Anonyvoter insisted that its software was unrelated to the incident and it was Labour's own internal database that had been tampered with. Critics of Anonyvoter say that independent tellers are not given access to monitor the voting process and regional Labour figures are able to see who has voted, giving them the ability to whip up support for certain candidates among those yet to vote. The software was developed by a former Labour councillor and provided to the party without any competitive tender process in 2020. A Scottish Labour spokesman said: 'We have full confidence in the integrity of both selection processes and the use of Anonyvoter. 'Labour candidates are selected by the votes of local members who select the person they believe should represent them. 'All selections are carried out in line with rules and procedures agreed and overseen by Scottish Labour's Executive Committee.' Anonyvoter was contacted for comment.
