NEARLY two million electors in the North-East will not have to leave their homes to go to the polls next year - but their hopes of casting their vote by text message or email have been dashed.

The region is just one of two in the country where all-postal ballots will be held for the European Parliament and local elections in June.

A report published by the Electoral Commission yesterday recommended the North-East and the East Midlands are the best equipped areas for the trial.

But the report, Electoral Pilots and the June 2004 Elections, ruled that no region in the UK is yet ready for electronic voting when it will be introduced to the European Parliamentary elections for the first time next year.

Electoral Commission chief executive, Roger Creedon, said: "We were impressed with the breadth of support in the North-East for an all-postal pilot in 2004.

"This is underpinned by the region's significant previous experience of trialing innovative methods of voting - there have been 19 pilot schemes in the region since 2000.

"The voters in the North-East have welcomed these innovations and next June will have the opportunity to be part of a much bigger pilot."

All-postal votes will also be held when referendums are held for regional assemblies in the North-East and North Yorkshire next autumn.

The move comes after a trial in this year's council elections when postal voting helped boost turnout from about 35 per cent to 50 per cent.

The method was used by a number of North-East councils in May, including Darlington, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, Derwentside, Gateshead and Sunderland.

In Stockton, the turnout was 47 per cent compared to the 31 per cent who cast their council votes last time around, and in Redcar and Cleveland it was nearly 50 per cent - up from 37 per cent.

The Electoral Commission was asked to find three regions from a possible ten which were suitable for all-postal voting next summer, but was able to find just two.

In making its recommendation, it was required to consider nine criteria provided by the Government, including the size, population and number of local authorities in each region, previous experiences of returning officers and potential for fraud.

Council across the region are gearing up for next year's elections, and some will be using all-postal ballots for the first time.

A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council, which opted out of the trial this year because it was not ready, said: "We would welcome any new ways to make voting easier for people in an attempt to increase turnout."