I HAVE never been against change and think postal ballots are a good idea. I am, however, very concerned that the anonymity of the voter is no longer protected.

Any voter can now easily be checked by council officials to see how he or she has voted. Surely this is against the constitution.

P C GOLDER, Hampden Fold, Grimshaw Street, Darwen.

FOOTNOTE: Returning Officer for Blackburn with Darwen, Phil Watson, said: "Ballot papers have always had some form of numbering so that, if needed to detect fraud, a ballot paper could be identified to a particular voter.

This can only be done with the approval of a court and is extremely rare.

"To protect secrecy in the present elections the ballot papers are in a different envelope to the declaration of identity.

This has a bar code which can be matched with the bar code on the ballot papers which electors are asked to make visible in the window of the ballot paper envelope.

"Therefore the declaration can be tied up with the ballot paper without opening the ballot paper envelope."