Staggering Scale of Illegal ‘Family Voting’ in Birmingham Revealed as Calls Grow for Formal Investigation

The UK elections watchdog has raised concerns after nearly 300 possible cases of people breaking secret ballot rules were reported during the May 2026 local elections.

There are now calls for the Electoral Commission to formally investigate Birmingham City Council after several incidents were reported by election staff. The incidents mainly involved people appearing to influence how family members or other voters cast their votes.

At around 50 polling stations across Birmingham, election staff reportedly had to repeatedly remind voters that it was against the rules to enter a voting booth with another person or tell someone which candidate they should vote for.

The council had previously given only a general summary of the incidents. However, information released following a Freedom of Information request has now provided more details about what happened at individual polling stations.

In Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, one election officer reportedly faced “aggressive” behaviour after warning voters that they were not allowed to talk to each other while inside the voting booths.

In Balsall Heath, a man reportedly accused election officials of fraud after they tried to stop him from influencing other voters. The situation caused considerable stress for the presiding officer, who was also dealing with another family described as being rude.

At another polling station, an individual was reportedly accused of trying to influence another person’s vote using Islamic gestures, blinking and hand signals.

In a separate incident, a woman reportedly became aggressive after staff told her that she could not discuss her vote or talk to another person while voting.

In Garretts Green, west Birmingham, a father was reportedly seen collecting the poll cards of members of his family and advising them on how to vote.

The presiding officer tried to stop the family from working together by separating them into different voting booths. However, the officer reported that the family continued to behave in a way that suggested their votes were being influenced.

In Handsworth, some voters reportedly switched languages after election officials told them to stop working together while voting. According to the presiding officer’s report, they continued despite being asked to stop.

Another incident involved a woman who reportedly tried to communicate with her husband about who to vote for. She was said to have shown him the candidate and pointed to where he should mark his ballot. The presiding officer had to step in and physically place an arm between them to stop the behaviour.

In Quinton, a mother and daughter reportedly entered a voting booth together. The woman told election staff that she wanted to make sure her daughter “voted correctly.”

Concerns about family voting in Birmingham had already attracted political attention. Reform UK said the council’s admission appeared to confirm concerns that some people had previously raised about voting practices.

The issue has also been raised in other parts of the country. During the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, electoral observers reported up to 32 incidents across 15 polling stations where voters were seen sharing booths or looking at each other’s ballots. However, the observers did not report seeing verbal or physical pressure being used.

Greater Manchester Police later said it found no evidence of voting coercion. The investigation was also said to have been affected by a lack of descriptions of possible suspects and limited CCTV footage.

Nigel Farage described the situation as “not good enough” and called for greater attention to the issue.

Democracy Volunteers, an organisation that monitors elections, said it identified 291 possible cases of family voting across the UK during the May local elections.

The Electoral Commission said it provides guidance and support to help protect the integrity of elections. It also said it works with police to ensure allegations of electoral abuse and intimidation are taken seriously.

The commission said it was collecting evidence from the May 2026 elections and planned to publish its findings in the coming weeks.

Birmingham City Council said the Returning Officer had passed all available reports of possible family voting to the police. The council said it understood that police had decided not to take further action.

West Midlands Police said it would assess any new information that had come to light and would work with Birmingham City Council and the Electoral Commission as part of the review process.

The reports have renewed concerns about whether voters are always able to cast their ballots privately and independently, and whether election officials have enough support to deal with possible breaches of the secret ballot.