---

Electoral Administration Bill

I am trying to find a way to get hanging chads into the debate. Members of the Committee will remember well the Florida experience when we were all glued to the wall-to-wall TV coverage, wondering what they would do to the American elections. That made us all think about technology and the need to ensure that it works properly. I think that the noble Lord probably accepts that for some people, getting to the polling station is a real difficulty. That applies not just to those with disabilities, but to the elderly and those with family responsibilities. I try to be measured because I accept absolutely that there are difficulties. However, for some the physical act of getting to the polling station, picking up the pencil and making your cross—which we may regard as something positive—is just not a practical proposition. We need to be careful that we do not disfranchise anyone. I am thinking here of mums with young children as much as those with disabilities.