Electronic recording of divisions

There have been calls for the introduction of an electronic voting system in the House of Commons. Proposals have included the use of identity cards or finger prints to record Members’ votes. Most proposals would allow the practice of dividing, where Members walk through the division lobbies to record their vote, to continue: many Members value this practice as it gives them time to talk to senior colleagues.

In March 2015, a number of divisions were recorded, in part, on tablet devices, in a pilot scheme: division clerks marked the names of Members passing through the lobbies on tablets instead of on paper. Tablets have been used to record divisions that are subject to a double majority under Standing Orders adopted in October 2015 to implement the Government’s plans for “English votes for English laws”. The use of tablets to record all divisions is expected to be fully implemented later in the current Session. House of Commons staff have been asked to carry out some preparatory studies of the introduction of voting by using security passes.

The use of electronic voting systems is common in many other parliaments. In some cases, the system relies on Members being allocated their own places in the Chamber but in other cases voting stations are provided.