IT IS unfortunate that the Liberal Democrats on York City Council have seen fit to block a trial of postal voting being used for the council elections next May, along with the rump Tory group (November 8).

As your leader column points out, pilot schemes for full postal voting elsewhere in the country have resulted in many more electors actually voting in local elections, with all the benefits that means for local democracy, whoever is the successful party or candidates.

The specious argument put forward by the Lib/Dem Group Leader that postal voting has inherent security flaws ignores the fact that any method of voting can be abused. The "traditional" method of voting in person at the polling station has always been open to similar abuse with "personation" - people voting in the name of another person, or even a deceased person - being prevalent in certain parts of the UK.

Perhaps the Liberal Democrats should drop the "Democrat" from their title. For a party that claims to support more community and public involvement they are showing little enthusiasm for increasing participation by the public in the most important community decision-making process of all - who should be trusted to be the representatives of the community. Theirs is a vote for apathy and cynicism.

Why are they afraid of greater involvement by voters?

Sandy Fraser,

Micklegate Labour Party Branch Organiser,

Millfield Road,

Scarcroft Road, York.

...WHY should the postal only system of voting be introduced?

By all means let those who wish to vote by post do so, enclosing their names and addresses in the same envelope, as I understand from media reports was a requirement of the system. But please do not remove the right from those of us who wish to enter a polling booth and record our 'secret' vote in the traditional way. I know this system has the possibility of tracing a vote, but it is only done with considerable difficulty, and not by the person who opens the envelope.

I would also question your editorial statement that there was no evidence of attempts to fiddle the vote in the pilot schemes. Again I must relay media reports of investigations into some pilot postal schemes at the last election which found fraud to have occurred.

Mrs J Finlay,

Clifton Dale, York.

...AT the last election, our most popular policy was for pubs to be used as polling stations, rather than schools and some of the more depressing church halls and so forth. Go out, have your vote, and then have some much-needed alcohol to help recover from the trauma of it all. It now seems that Mr. Blair is coming round to this way of thinking as well - so forget the postal ballot and get some in!

Eddie Vee,

Official Monster Raving Loony Party,

Wenham Road, York.

Updated: 11:50 Monday, November 11, 2002