THE electoral returning officer for Swindon has rejected a call for polling stations to be scrapped and replaced by postal voting in local elections.

Alan Winchcombe spoke out after the Government's influential Electoral Commission said all-postal voting would help to preserve local democracy.

According to the commission, tests across the country have shown that postal ballots boost local polling turnout from about 30 per cent to around 50 per cent.

The turnout at the last local elections in Swindon, which were held in May and offered a variety of ways to vote including by post, was 29.8 percent.

Mr Winchcombe, who oversees the administration of both local and Parliamentary elections in the borough, said: "Surveys we have done and we have done a few show that 60 percent of voters in the borough still want to use polling stations, even when they have other options such as e-voting, telephone voting and postal voting.

"Many people say voting is an event for them. They see it as a duty and the easiest way to vote."

Mr Winchcombe said this particularly seemed to apply to people aged 45 years and over, although voters of all ages used polling stations.

The turnout at this year's Swindon local elections was a fraction down on last year's, even though voters had a choice of methods of taking part, ranging from traditional polling booths to postal and e-voting, which the borough pioneered last year.

Mr Winchcombe said this was not an indicator alternative methods were a turn-off but merely reflected the fact local elections were held on a rolling basis, with different sections of the borough voting for their councillors from one year to the next.

Electoral Commission chairman Sam Younger said: "Our conclusion is all-postal elections are ready to be made available at all local government elections. It should be the norm at local elections.''