CHORLEY is to lead the country in a new electronic voting pilot scheme.

Electors in the local authority are among more than 1.5million voters nationwide to trial voting on the internet, digital television and by text messaging, at this May's local elections.

In England's most extensive test of so-called e-voting yet, 18 local authorities have won the Government go ahead on plans for e-voting electoral pilots.

Chorley is to pilot e-voting on the internet, and using touch-tone telephone.

Announcing the details of the pilot authorities today, Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said: "This year's local elections will be the largest test of the Government's e-voting plans yet, confirming the UK's position as one of the pioneers of e-voting in Europe.

"The 18 local authorities that will trial the new technologies produced proposals that demonstrated they are ready, willing, and able to offer their electors the opportunity to trial 21st century voting techniques.

"We are building on the positive response to the relatively small-scale trials held by nine authorities last year, which demonstrated the huge potential that e-voting has for giving people wider opportunities to vote. This year's pilots will help us to gain a better knowledge and experience of e-voting with a much larger number of people and are an important step towards our aim of holding an e-enabled General Election some time after 2006. These innovations will help to make elections more relevant, straightforward and accessible for voters."

The Government has been working closely with the Electoral Commission and Local Government Association to encourage local authorities to hold pilots.