Board minutes: 18 July 2023

(Commissioners, 9.30 – 10.00am)

Apologies were received from Commissioner Elan Closs Stephens and Sal Naseem, Independent Adviser to the Commission Board on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

The Board welcomed the Electoral Administration Guidance Team members, who provided an overview of their work and outlined their role in answering complex queries and developing and updating the Commission’s guidance and resources for elections and electoral registration.

The Board thanked the team for their time and update.

Resolved: That the Board noted that there were no updated declarations of interests since the June 2023 Board meeting. 

Resolved: That the Board agreed the minutes of the meeting held 27 June 2023.

It was noted that the Director, Communications, Policy and Research and Commissioner Chris Ruane had met to discuss the provision of targeted data to MPs.

It was recommended that wider presentation of data (particularly interactive presentation) be considered within the broader scope of the next Corporate Plan period.

It was agreed that the Chair and Board Secretary would review the action list with Commissioner Chris Ruane.

Resolved: That the Board noted the progress against actions.

The Chief Executive provided an update on operations and matters arising, noting  it had been a busy few weeks since the last Board meeting.

The Board noted updates on various parliamentary meetings attended by members of the Executive Team, an update on the Annual Report and Accounts, the budgetary position for the current financial year along with the timetable for agreeing the 2024/25 budgets, an update on EDI activities noting progress with recruitment for the EDI Lead, an update on the Elections Act and an update on the  forthcoming Board event in Cardiff.

It was noted that a few Commissioners had expressed an interest in observing by- elections, and it was agreed that Commissioners would be invited to observe at by-elections and for recall petitions as well as for scheduled elections.

The Board requested that a further update on the Strategy and Policy Statement be added to the Forward Plan of Board business at an appropriate time.

Resolved: That the Board noted the update on operations and matters arising. 

Resolved: That the Board noted the Forward Plan of Board business 2023/24.

The Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) Chair introduced the report summarising the work of the Committee during the financial year, to provide assurance to the Commission Board in support of the 2022/23 governance statement prepared by the Accounting Officer.

The Board noted that the Committee had reviewed elements of the Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23, noting that there was still some work to be carried out to conclude the financial accounts. These will now be laid following summer recess in September. 

The Independent Adviser to ARAC outlined areas where the reporting of risks and issues could be strengthened and improved so that the Committee  would be in a better position to support and challenge.

Resolved: That the Board reviewed and noted the report, supporting the ARAC on having early sight of risks and issues, strengthening the risks on Artificial Intelligence and encouraging the Committee to consider succession planning.
 

The Director, Electoral Administration and Guidance introduced the report updating the Board on the work undertaken since May, to gather and analyse evidence and views from voters, campaigners, and electoral administrators to inform our reporting on the polls in England and Northern Ireland.

The Board discussed areas of the analysis, including voter ID and turnout, equality, diversity and inclusion issues,the intimidation of candidates, electoral fraud and secrecy, resilience of electoral administration and, in Northern Ireland, concerns about the operation of the Digital Registration Number (DRN).

Resolved: That the Board agreed the key themes and areas for recommendations outlined within the report, and that these should be reflected in our reports on the May 2023 polls.

The Director, Communications, Policy and Research introduced Léonie Austin,  external specialist counsel, who joined the meeting to support the Board’s discussion, as requested at the May 2022 Board meeting, and presented her findings to the Board following a review of the Commission's campaign approach.

The Director, Communications, Policy and Research introduced the report, presenting outline strategies and a proposed maximum budget for the public awareness campaigns ahead of the scheduled May 2024 elections.

The Board noted and welcomed Léonie Austin’s findings and recommendations from her review. It discussed the proposed strategy and budget for the proposed campaign activity. It welcomed the encouragement of partnership working integrated with traditional approaches on order to reach specific audiences; the approach being taken on voter ID and registration; and the need for tailored approaches. 

It was agreed that the Director, Communications, Policy and Research would discuss the approach being taken to the campaign in Scotland with the Commissioner nominated by the SNP. It was agreed that Commissioners would be invited to get involved in the next steps.

Resolved: That the Board agreed the plan and maximum budget for the public awareness campaigns, and supported the recommendations by the external specialist counsel. 

The Director, Communications, Policy and Research introduced the report, summarising the third year of horizon scanning activities, focused on giving us additional intelligence on how emerging trends and developments might challenge current policy and practice in relation to the Commission’s work. The Board discussed the report including the related issues of artificial intelligence and technology change as well as the value of participatory democracy methods in gaining insights to support this process. It was agreed that this process should be integrated into the  work on corporate planning including the importance of considering the research budget required in future years.
Resolved: That the Board agreed on the live topic list for scans set out in the paper.

Resolved: That the Board agreed on the specific recommendations for further work set out in the paper.

The Director, Regulation and Digital Transformation introduced the revised report, following the Board’s consideration of the proposed revised Enforcement Policy review in November 2022.

Resolved: That the Board agreed the revised Enforcement Policy for adoption and   publication.
 

The Board Chair and the Director, Communications, Policy and Research introduced the report, on the second in a series of discussions on our strategic objectives to develop our next corporate plan. 

It was noted that the purpose of the discussion was to test the ambition of the existing objective on accessible registration and voting, and to establish a shared understanding of the challenges, risks and opportunities in this area of our work.

The Board highlighted the problem of low voter registration, especially among specific groups of people, and agreed that we should be ambitious in the overall aim of working to ensure that everyone, who is entitled to be, is registered to vote.

The Board discussed how we might draw upon our evidence base and work with the wider electoral community to achieve change in this area, recognising what is within the Commission’s remit.

The Board noted that working with political parties and politicians forms an important part of this, given their crucial role in promoting democratic participation and engagement across society.

Resolved: That the Board supports the work on the ambition and impact, continued investment in our work and, ways of interpreting our current plan with a higher aspiration.