In just over 12 weeks’ time, Bristol, like many other places, will have elections for the council, mayor, metro mayor and crime commissioner (Elections in England and Wales to go ahead in May despite Covid, 5 February).
Normally by now, political activists would be holding meetings, delivering leaflets, knocking on doors and doing everything possible to introduce their candidates and policies to the electorate. They would stand at street stalls, talk to people and try to answer questions. This raises awareness of the elections and increases public involvement in our democracy, and all of it is now forbidden or dangerous.
On election day itself, these activists would be out urging people to vote, perhaps giving them lifts to polling stations. Then, hundreds of people would gather round tables in school halls or civic buildings to count the votes, while representatives of all the parties peer over the tables to make sure no votes are put into the wrong piles. How can this be done safely, even if all the over-50s have received their first vaccination?
Without giving parties the chance to meet people, put forward their policies and answer questions, we cannot have fair elections, so they should be postponed until September. Telling people to bring their own pencil is not enough. Some people may say that it is the same for all parties, so will not be a problem. Unfortunately, a low turnout usually benefits the Conservative party and, as it has fewer active supporters and is usually less visible on the ground, it has every reason to press ahead with elections in which the opposition parties will struggle to be heard.
Rosemary Chamberlin
Bristol
• I wonder whether anyone has seen the plans for online and text voting. Given that we have known about Covid for a year and have kept postponing our local and mayoral elections, you would have thought that these plans would have been announced by now.
Derek Wyatt
(Former MP), Aldeburgh, Suffolk
