Reform UK raises 'family voting' concerns in Lancashire ahead of May's local elections

Its Blackburn branch deputy chair Helen Voegt highlighted the issues – including ‘family voting’ – at the borough’s full Council Forum meeting on Thursday night.

After February’s Gorton and Denton by-election Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage raised his concerns over “extremely high” of the practice in the poll.

Family voting is where a family member is seen to be influencing somebody else’s vote, for example by entering the polling booth with them.

Concerns were raised by Democracy Volunteers, a group of voluntary election observers.

The Electoral Commission said it took the claims “very seriously” and would “carefully consider” the report.

Cllr Riley told Ms Voegt he was confident that the authority’s chief executive and its rigorously trained election officials would stamp out any malpractice.

She asked him: “To protect the people’s democracy in Blackburn with Darwen during the 2026 local elections how would the leader of the council encourage all councillors, candidates, agents and all their elected representatives to ensure a free and fair election.

“In particular in preventing the intimidation of candidates, campaigners or elected representatives; prevent postal vote harvesting, prevent the undue influence and coercion of voters at polling stations, and prevent family voting.”

Cllr Riley replied: “The simple answer is that people should follow the rules.

“At a meeting on Monday the chief executive was very clear about the rules.

“The rules are very straightforward.

“I’ve been involved in elections in Blackburn for far too long probably and I think we have to be careful that we don’t overstate issues particularly issues that are now in the popular currency.

“We’ve probably got the most professional chief executive in the county and that’s why she’s been invited to officiate at various other elections that are being held probably next year for local government reorganisation.

“Every polling station obviously has a presiding officer.

“There will be rigorous training that will be led by Denise.

“Nobody will not know what the right things are.

“The presiding officers if they see something that is untoward, the presiding officers will be entitled and encouraged to take that up, to intervene.

“If they see something that’s happening at that very moment they can intervene. They can stop it.

“So there is no shortage of things that people can do.

“It begins very simply with everybody understanding what the rules are and we need to follow them.”