Electronic strike balloting

A government-commissioned review into electronic strike balloting (the Knight review) was published in December 2017. The review was promised during the passage of the TUA 16 through parliament. Postal balloting is known to depress turnout.

The Knight review recommended a series of pilots to test online strike balloting. However, progress on electronic strike balloting has now stalled.

The Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted just how out of date the balloting rules are. Requirements for a postal ballot, physical voting papers and physical checks by a balloting scrutineer have made it practically impossible to hold a lawful strike over the lockdown period.