Last week, the Chief Political Correspondent of The Telegraph UK published an article detailing how MP's will be voting by swipe card ending "the short-lived experiment of forcing them to vote physically in long lines". 

According to The Telegraph, there had been debates between MPs about their leader Jacob Rees-Mogg forcing them to return to parliament in person during the pandemic. A plan has since been made to allow MP's to vote via swipe card for numerous weeks and the trials for this process will begin this week. 

According to a similar article written by the UK's Independent newspaper, "Under plans being drawn up by the Government, MPs will use computerised smartcards to vote in the House of Commons. If the scheme gets the go-ahead next week, the centuries-old tradition of verbally registering "aye" or a "no" with the clerks will be abolished in favour of a much quicker system."

The Independent also describes the move as "smart" saying "under one favoured option, MPs would swipe personalised cards through electronic machines, allowing a vote to be calculated within seconds instead of the 14 minutes it takes at present. The current system entails clerks sitting at desks and using pen and paper to tick off names from lists of the 657 MPs."

Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay is said to have hope that "swipe cards will bring down the time needed to vote from the current 40 minutes to just 15 minutes - similar to the time taken to vote before the coronavirus pandemic struck". 

How TDS Has Assisted the Houses of Parliament Through These Changes

TDS have been providing the Houses of Parliament with long-term maintenance and are now key innovators with how the vote will be carried out via Swipe Card technology during the pandemic. 

In order to provide for the high voting volumes, TDS have helped with managing and controlling voting numbers efficiently and securely, ensuring that the Swipe Card process is no different to the normal voting process which would have been seen pre-pandemic. 

During this time, the Houses of Parliament requires a system that is safe and secure in order to facilitate as much of a "normal" voting procedure as possible.

Click here to read the full article originally posted on the Daily Telegraph.

Click here to read the full article originally posted on the Independent.

Return to Work Safely with TDS Safeguard

At this time of a global pandemic and social distancing, visitor management protocol and digital workplace solutions are more important now than ever. TDS want to make sure that each person is prepared to make a safe and secure return to their regular working life in the coming weeks and months. 

Click the link below to book a free consultation with one of our company specialists to learn all about the actions TDS are taking and how our Visitor Management software can future-proof your facility following the Covid-19 pandemic.