I read with interest the Q&A session with the returning officer Penny Thompson, (Argus 18/4).

However, there is a further matter I would like to have seen her clarify and it concerns the question of whether the general election continues to be a secret ballot.

Prior to the election registered voters are sent a card on which their individual registration number is shown. This is handed in at the polling station and checked against the electoral roll. The voter is then given a numbered ballot paper from a perforated book. The voter’s registration number is then written onto the numbered ballot paper stub. Thus it allows for cross referencing and the ability to determine for which party a person voted for.

So, who has access to this information? Is this how a political party is now able to focus its canvassing, by knowing how an individual has voted in previous elections? What happens to all the ballot papers after they have been counted?

They never used to be numbered and I am sure this system was probably introduced in order to combat fraud. Though, whatever the reason, our general election can no longer be referred to as a secret ballot. That ceases to be the moment you enter your cross.

Chris Dunford Woodbourne Avenue Brighton