On this page you can find the numbered lists of the Chief Counting Officer’s directions, as well as links to supplementary guidance that we have issued since the release of the Chief Counting Officer’s instructions in January.
Referendum resultThe result of the UK-wide referendum on the voting system used to elect MPs to the UK Parliament was declared on 7 May 2011, delivering a 'no' to changing the voting system. View the local and regional totals and UK result. |
Numbered lists of directions for the May referendum
| Last updated | Directions |
| 19 March 2011 | Directions for a stand-alone referendum |
| 19 March 2011 | Directions for the combined referendum and local elections in England |
| 19 March 2011 | Directions for the combined referendum and Scottish Parliamentary election |
| 19 March 2011 | Directions for the combined referendum and National Assembly for Wales election |
| 19 March 2011 | Directions for Northern Ireland's Chief Electoral Officer |
Guidance and resources are provided in the Chief Counting Officer’s instructions to Counting Officers. Additional information and guidance has been provided in recent communications, which can be found below.
Guidance issued after the publication of the Chief Counting Officer’s instructions
Polling stations
| Circular EC08/2011 | Provision of information to voters in polling stations on the referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections (contains polling station FAQs that polling station staff have been directed to use) |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 6 | Explains which notices should be displayed inside polling stations and clarifies that the allocation of 100% of ballot papers applies in relation to the referendum and the election at combined polls |
| Provides links to our tellers guidance documents and our position on the use of rosettes |
Postal voting
| Spring Polls Bulletin 3 | Includes an explanation of the late amendment to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Bill concerning the granting of postal votes |
| Circular EC09/2011 | Postal voting at the elections and referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections on 5 May 2011 (sets out which ballot papers for which electoral event postal voters must, by law, be sent following the amendment to the PVSC Bill) |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 6 | Contains the Commission’s view on lost postal ballot papers |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 9 | Contains a clarification on the Commission's position on and involvement in the development of the 'Yes to Fairer Votes' postal vote application form and further details on Royal Mail sweeps |
| Contains further details on the handling of postal vote application forms distributed by 'Yes to Fairer Votes' | |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 11 | Includes details on secondary mail centre sweeps |
Verification and count
| Spring Polls Bulletin 3 | Confirms that the Chief Counting Officer has not directed the use of a particular verification and count method, but has directed that the model used must conform to key principles |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 4 | Contains details on the national results collation rehearsal |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 8 | Includes information on when verification has been completed and when results may be declared |
| Circular EC16/2011 | Monitoring the performance of Counting Officers at 5 May 2011 electoral events; referendum verification and count communication protocol (includes information about the protocol which Counting Officers should use to communicate verification and count data to Regional Counting Officers, as well as a template for those Counting Officers who do not propose to follow the Commission’s count model) |
| E-learning tool | This learning tool is for Counting Officers using the Results Collation System to send information from their count centre to the Regional Counting Officer |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 11 | Contains information on the process for announcing totals locally and regionally |
Forms and notices
Templates for all voter-facing forms can be found on our dedicated forms and notices page.
| Circular EC02/2011 | Instructions and resources for the proposed referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections, and the scheduled elections in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2011 (provides links to the first set of templates produced by the Commission) |
| Circular EC04/2011 | Update on modifications to poll cards (provides templates and detailed specifications for the production of poll cards) |
| Alert 158 | Template for the ballot paper for the proposed referendum on the UK Parliamentary voting system, and ballot paper unique identifying marks |
| Alert 159 | Publication of ‘quick guide to postal voting’ for the referendum and combined polls on 5 May |
| Alert 160 | Publication of modified polling station and polling booth notices for the referendum and combined polls |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 1 and Spring Polls Bulletin 3 | Include a clarification on the size of the referendum ballot paper |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 2 and Spring Polls Bulletin 4 | Contain a clarification on what should be included on the back of the referendum ballot paper |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 5 | Summarises the Commission’s position on cut ballot papers and the printing of the official mark |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 6 | Sets out which notices should be displayed inside polling stations |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 9 | Searching for emblems on PEF Online |
Monitoring
| Circular EC16/2011 | Monitoring the performance of Counting Officers at 5 May 2011 electoral events; referendum verification and count communication protocol (includes data the Chief Counting Officer will be requesting from 1 April 2011) |
| Circular EC06/2011 | Royal Assent of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act (includes guidance on applying for an exception to a direction from the Chief Counting Officer) |
Fees and charges
| Spring Polls Bulletin 7 |
Includes information on the allocation of staff to polling stations and resulting costs and a reminder to provide bank details to the Election Claims Unit |
| Documents to support expenses forms: | |
| Fees and Charges Bulletins: | |
| Circular EC17/2011 | Guidance notes on Counting Officers’ expenses at the referendum on the voting system for UK parliamentary elections. This circular contains the following documents: |
| Counting Officer cost assumptions by expenditure head | |
| Legislation | The Referendum on the Voting System (Counting Officers' and Regional Counting Officers' Charges) Order 2011 (PDF) |
| Legislation |
The Counting Officers, Regional Counting Officers, and Chief Counting Officers Accounts (Parliamentary Voting System Referendum) Regulations 2011 (PDF) |
Insurance
| Circular EC05/2011 | Insurance for the […] referendum on the UK Parliamentary voting system proposed for 5 May 2011 (contains a summary of the insurance policy and other documents) |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 8 |
Includes further details on insurance provisions, including details on insuring staff over the age of 80 |
Public awareness and media
| Spring Polls Bulletin 3 | Announces that the Commission will ask Counting Officers to carry out public awareness activities on its behalf during the 28 days ahead of the poll and highlights the restrictions under PPERA |
| Spring Polls Bulletin 7 | Links to template press releases |
| Circular EC15/2011 | Electoral Commission public awareness campaign and process for managing media enquiries about the referendum |
| Brings together all our information on queries from voters on the referendum and includes links to useful information that can be included on council websites | |
| Contains a link to new press release templates and contact details of our press office | |
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Provides a link to the agreed RCO/Commission process for managing media enquiries at the count |
Campaigners
| Spring Polls Bulletin 3 | Contains details on referendum campaigners’ entitlement to the electoral register and absent voters’ lists |
| Set out the benefits of lead campaign organisations and access to referendum processes by all campaigners | |
| Circular EC12/2011 | Accessing the registers of political parties and permitted participants […] (how to search for registered campaigners) |
| Circular EC13/2011 | Designation of lead campaign groups for the referendum on the UK Parliamentary voting system on 5 May 2011 |
Electoral integrity
| Circular EC07/2011 | Guidance on preventing and detecting electoral malpractice and other 2011 electoral integrity products |
Post-referendum/election data collection
| Circular EC11/2011 | Reporting on the administration of scheduled elections and the referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections on 5 May 2011 (includes links to the data collection forms) |
