ABSTRACT
On 12 February 2001 – at the official launch of the Electoral Commission – my chairman’s statement concluded: ‘The Electoral Commission has a challenging agenda, not least due to the imminence of a general election. We are all looking forward to meeting that challenge, to playing our full part in giving effect to the principles of integrity, accountability and openness which Lord Neill highlighted in his report and to working with others to encourage the widest possible public participation in the electoral process.’ 1 Just four days later the key elements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 came into force, requiring political parties to report publicly to the Electoral Commission all donations of over £5,000, banning foreign donations and imposing for the first time limits on national (as opposed to constituency) campaign spending during an election. The looming general election heightened public interest in the new rules, while the unexpectedly steep decline in turnout on 7 June concentrated attention on issues of voter engagement and provided an opportunity to highlight the shortcomings of our electoral law and practice. No new organisation could have dared hope for such a combination of circumstances in its first months to focus attention on its areas of concern and to underline the potential value of its creation.
