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Britain Experiments With Early, High-Tech Voting

Officials hope to boost participation in voting by making it easier for residents of towns to vote electronically.

LONDON (AP) -- In an effort to promote interest in next month's local elections, some districts began experimenting Thursday with letting people cast ballots early at mobile voting stations or via telephone and the Internet.

Town hall chiefs hope that reaching out to people who might not be able to make it to polling stations for local council elections on May 2 will prevent a low turnout.

Mainstream political parties also are concerned that the right-wing extremist British National Party could benefit from low turnout as it tries to use the elections to establish it first foothold in local English governments.

At Newham, east London, where people will vote on touch screen electronic machines, mobile polling stations were opened at various sites until Monday.

In two wards at Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, people will be able to cast early votes until Sunday via the Internet.

People in Liverpool's Church and Everton wards will be able to vote electronically by telephone, Internet or text messaging until May 2, and people at Swindon, Wiltshire, will be able to vote until Tuesday by Internet or touch-tone telephone, in addition to the traditional methods.

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