I agree with Tony Sturley and other correspondents that an all-postal election would be a mistake (Letters, November 18).

As far as I can tell, voting fraud is rare under the present system. I have only ever heard one rumour of voters being impersonated "in person" and that was just a rumour.

However, it is well attested that in 1992 in the Torbay constituency there were instances of dubious practice around the use of postal and proxy votes.

One person even returned from holiday to vote only to find his vote had already been registered. More recently, in trial runs of all-postal votes there have been similar incidents on a bigger scale.

One often hears staff in places such as nursing homes sometimes apply for postal votes on behalf of residents who have lost interest in politics and no longer open their own mail.

I think one was quoted by Adam Trimingham, who wrote of a Liberal canvasser who was told by a matron of the residents of her home: "They're senile, not interested in politics and, anyway, all vote Conservative."

So why should Labour support all-postal voting? I suspect it is mainly because it was swept into office with the aid of a large number of idealistic helpers who swamped the other parties in the vital work of knocking on doors and reminding supporters to vote.

I doubt many will do that again. They have defected to other parties or dropped out of politics, disillusioned with New Labour.

-Peter T Garratt, London Road, Brighton