Observers raise concerns over secret ballot breaches at Gorton and Denton byelection

The Democracy Volunteers team attended 22 of the 45 polling stations while polls were open, where they observed what they called ‘family voting’. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

An election observer group has raised concerns over people appearing to collude on voting in the Gorton and Denton byelection.

Democracy Volunteers, an organisation founded by Dr John Ault, and supported by the Conservative peer and psephologist Prof Robert Haywood, deployed four accredited election observers across the constituency.