Facebook and Twitter trolls could be banned from voting to stop them abusing politicians

A ballot box
A ballot box Credit: Rui Vieira/PA 

Social media trolls could be banned from voting under tough new measures outlined by the elections watchdog to crackdown on the abuse of politicians.

The Electoral Commission said the Government should consider introducing new offences to bring election laws up to date to reduce the wave of abuse often faced by candidates.  

The recommendation came as a BBC survey showed that just shy of 90 per cent of MPs were exposed to abuse during the 2017 General Election.

Many election offences date back to the 1800s or even earlier and are set out in myriad pieces of legislation.

Theresa May, the Prime Minister
Theresa May, the Prime Minister, has tasked the Committee on Standards in Public Life to examine the abuse of candidates Credit: David Kawai/Bloomberg

The commission said that some electoral offences already come with the threat of the imposition of special sanctions, such as the person convicted losing their elected office, being disqualified from voting or being banned from standing. 

The watchdog suggested that such penalties could be applied to trolls found guilty of abusing candidates on social media.

"It may be that similar special electoral consequences could act as a deterrent to abusive behaviour in relation to candidates and campaigners," the commission said.

The watchdog set out the proposal in evidence given to the Committee on Standards in Public Life which is investigating the intimidation faced by parliamentary candidates.

It also suggested that an overhaul of electoral law would help in "clarifying and strengthening" existing offences and closing any gaps in the current rules.

The commission also recommended updating electoral law to take proper account of social media posts, so people can find out who is responsible for abusive material posted online.

A survey of MPs showed that 51 per cent believed the June 8 election was the worst campaign they had experienced in terms of the abuse they had been exposed to.

One Labour MP told the survey someone had threatened to bomb her office, while another MP claimed to have had a "bottle smashed on me".

The anonymous survey carried out by BBC Radio 5 Live received responses from 113 of the UK's 650 MPs.

It revealed 87 per cent of those who responded said they had faced some form of abuse on the campaign trail.

The Committee for Standards in Public Life was tasked by Theresa May with investigating election abuse.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “She asked the Committee for Standards in Public Life to have a look at that and we'll see what they come back with.

"More generally, I think what she would say is that there is a clear difference between legitimate scrutiny and conduct that is fuelled by hate and personal abuse."

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