Police should patrol Midland polling stations deemed to be at risk of vote-rigging in the local and European elections, the Government has been told.
The Electoral Commission listed 16 areas at risk of electoral fraud and called for police, local authorities and political parties to take tough action in May to combat it.
Birmingham and Walsall were identified as locations which had suffered from widespread organised vote-rigging, particularly among South Asian communities.
The report, published last month, also said voters should be required to produce their passport or driving licence in ‘at risk’ areas before they were allowed to cast their ballots.
The elections watchdog raised particular concerns about voter impersonation in Birmingham, where a judge in 2004 condemned systemic postal voting fraud which he said would disgrace a “banana republic”.
Jenny Watson, the chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “Proven cases of electoral fraud are rare and, when it is committed, the perpetrators tend to be candidates or their supporters.
“Voters are the victims and sustained action is needed now to prevent fraud from taking place.”
