Has the press breached election laws.

Writing on the Telegraph blog,Toby Harnden reminds us that

In today’s London mayoral election it is a breach of the 1983 Representation of the People’s Act for the press to report anything about how voters have voted until the polls have closed. So, it’s illegal for a journalist to conduct interviews with voters outside a polling station and report on them until the election is over. Punishment? Six months in the slammer.

And reminds us of the relevent legislation

Schedule 6 of the 2000 amendments to the 1983 Representation of the People Act

“66A. - (1) No person shall, in the case of an election to which this section applies, publish before the poll is closed-

(a) any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted at the election where that statement is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information given by voters after they have voted, or

(b) any forecast as to the result of the election which is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information so given.

(2) This section applies to-

(a) any parliamentary election; and

(b) any local government election in England or Wales.

(3) If a person acts in contravention of subsection (1) above, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.”

And remember this could also apply to bloggers and twitters as well