Kevin Horner's assertion (Letters, June 3) that political parties are told who has voted for them is alarming.

I have always assumed the registration numbers on our supposedly- secret voting forms were for the convenience of the security services; this allows them to compile lists of supporters of any parties they may consider extreme. If they don't do this they are surely failing in their duties of surveillance.

But the idea that the nice Conservative candidate will not give me a lift to the polling station (so I can vote for the Green Party) in future is quite upsetting.

Does anybody know the truth about this?

Charles Hunt,

Wilton Rise, York.

...Kevin Horner writes 'political parties are informed after each polling day of who voted for which party'. This statement must have alarmed many people, but it is incorrect.

After an election a political party can buy an electoral register which identifies who has and has not voted, but there is no indication as to how a person voted.

Mr Horner is correct in saying it is possible to trace a ballot paper back to a name on the electoral register whether the ballot paper was submitted in a polling station or via a postal ballot.

My understanding is that this reconciliation would only occur where there has been suspected malpractice or a fraudulent ballot.

John Taylor,

Secretary, City of York Labour Party,

Holgate Road, York.

...I am aware that many of your readers are following with interest the progress of the all-postal ballot now taking place for the elections in the European Parliamentary region of Yorkshire & the Humber.

The Electoral Commission is required to evaluate and report on the conduct of this pilot scheme and to publish our report in September 2004. We should particularly welcome the views and experiences of electors who are using the system this year to inform our evaluation.

Readers wishing to contribute to this evaluation should write to the commission's Pilots Evaluation Team at the address below, or by email to pilotevaluation@electoralcommission.org.uk

Sam Younger,

Chairman,

The Electoral Commission,

Trevelyan House,

Great Peter Street,

London SW1P 2HW.

Updated: 10:06 Saturday, June 05, 2004