Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2008

My Lords, I am glad about that. Although I welcome any attempt to stop fraud in the postal system, I think that it is absurd that, in this day and age, we are still debating an electoral system that is based on crosses on pieces of paper instead of moving towards an electoral system based on computers, the internet and voting electronically. The advantages of that are enormous. I agree that it would mean that one would have to have identity cards. If they were compulsory, people would be able to vote in a variety of places, and not just in ballot boxes, and eventually in their own home, on their own computers or even via their own television sets. Such a system would also expand the ability of people to vote. With identity cards, it would become very much safer and more secure. There would therefore be less opportunity for corruption. The final advantage would be that one would press one button at 10 o’clock and know the result in the constituency. As someone who used to sit long hours during the night waiting for the result to come through, I would appreciate the benefit of that.