The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has today published a consultation that will inform a review of electronic balloting.

The Terms of Reference for the review, headed by Sir Ken Knight, former Chief Inspector of Fire Services, set out four key issues to take into consideration:

1. The electronic and physical security of e-balloting methods, including risks of interception, impersonation, hacking, fraud or misleading or irregular practices;
2. If any system can safeguard against risk of intimidation of union members and protect anonymity of ballot responses
3. The security and resilience of existing balloting of union members
4. The aims of the Trade Union Act 2016 to ensure strikes and related disruption to the public only happen as a result of a clear, positive decision by those entitled to vote.

The consultation closes on 10 May and details of how to respond are available via the gov.uk website here.