Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24
Overview
This section provides an overview of the Electoral Commission, our purpose, our performance during the last year and the key risks to achieving our goals.
We have included summary financial information within the performance report. This is consistent with the financial statements, where more detail is available.
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) established the Electoral Commission. We are independent of governments and political parties and directly accountable to the UK, Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.
We have prepared our 2023/24 Annual Report and Accounts in accordance with an accounts direction, set out on page 168, issued by HM Treasury under paragraph 17 (2) of Schedule 1 PPERA. We have prepared the powers and sanctions report on page 55 in accordance with paragraph 15 Schedule 19(b) and paragraph 27 Schedule 19(c) PPERA.
Preface
Preparing for elections in 2023 was a big task, and the Commission’s priority was to support voters, campaigners, and the electoral community through a time of change.
The most significant area of focus was the introduction of voter ID at the local elections in England. As well as improving the security of the vote, it was essential that all voters continued to be able to use their vote and that administrators could run the new systems effectively and consistently. Raising public awareness and assisting electoral administrators were top of our agenda. The administration of the polls was smooth across the country, which reflects the dedication of the many staff who went the extra mile to deliver in very challenging circumstances. Our campaign saw awareness rise considerably ahead of the polls and we know that the vast majority of voters were able to take part.
However, evidence showed that the requirement posed a barrier for some voters. One voter turned away is too many and, working with others across the electoral system, we will need to redouble our efforts for future elections so that no one loses their vote.
Significant work has been done to prepare for elections taking place after the end of the financial year, including for local councils across England, Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales, and the general election.
The UK parliamentary general election is the first cross-UK poll since the Elections Act was introduced. We have had to step up to ensure that everyone involved understands the changes and can to play their part. In addition, the context for the general election has changed markedly since 2019, with increased levels of abuse, intimidation and threats to candidates, and the impact of rapid developments in technology. A significant feature of the work of the Commission, has been to broaden and deepen the partnerships we have with others, including many civil society organisations, law enforcement and other regulators.
There have also been specific developments in the electoral landscape in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which have required sustained support from the across the Commission, including our teams based in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. Our role engaging with elections in each of the nations of the UK is a particular strength of the Commission seen to good effect this year.
I would like to acknowledge that within the Commission there have also been a number of challenges this year. In August we announced that the Commission had been the victim of 7 a sophisticated cyberattack, proving how important it is that we all remain vigilant to the risks facing our electoral processes. We paid particular attention to assisting individuals whose personal data had been put at risk and apologise to them for not successfully safeguarding their information. We continue to invest in improvements to our systems to ensure they are secure and protected.
Finally, I want to express my thanks to Shaun McNally and Rob Vincent for their contributions as Chief Executive and Interim Chief Executive respectively. In March we welcomed Vijay Rangarajan, as our new Chief Executive, who brings a great range and depth of understanding of elections, independence and rigour in his thinking and a passion for democracy. I very much look forward to our continued work together.
I would, in addition, like to thank my fellow Commissioners and Commission staff for their dedication, expertise and resilience. The success of the Commission rests on its impartiality, independence and professionalism, and I am confident that we have a team ready to deliver for voters, campaigners and electoral administrators through the busy times ahead.
John Pullinger CB, Chair
I was delighted to start as Chief Executive of the Commission in March, just as everyone was working at full steam to prepare for the Local and General Elections.
I have been so impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of all those who work at the Commission, and by their level of skill and knowledge. And by the range of great partners we have.
It’s clear that the introduction of the Elections Act has meant a lot of change. A new statutory code of practice for non-party campaigners, the introduction of the digital imprint regime, Voter ID, the extension of the overseas voting franchise, and changes to postal and proxy voting have all
been introduced and a great deal of work has been delivered to ensure smooth implementation.
Guidance, advice surgeries, and information resources have all been created to support the electoral community to understand and prepare for the changes. Many of the early conversations I’ve had with stakeholders have welcomed the Commission’s support and expertise, and our joint work for the elections in 2024.
I have welcomed meeting some of those we work most closely with, including parliamentarians, returning officers and civil society organisations. I hope to have the opportunity to engage with more in the coming months. There are so many important issues and challenges to address together, including candidate intimidation, changes in technology and campaigning, and public confidence in the transparency of the political finance system.
I have particularly enjoyed learning about the work the Commission is doing with young people and educators. Our annual Welcome to your Vote Week saw 440 schools, youth groups and other educational organisations across the UK signed up to take part. Together we celebrated the impact that everyone’s voice can have, including with an event in the UK Parliament and a visit by an MP to a local school. It’s so important to
engage and encourage people from a young age to participate in democracy and voting. I look forward to seeing this work go from strength to strength.
Internally, there is a lot to celebrate at this juncture, but also a lot to do. There have been important investments in areas including IT infrastructure, cyber defences, and upgrades to our offices. I am committed to ensuring that we are in the strongest position to keep and attract a diverse range of talent and experience. We will continue to strengthen our finance, performance management and procurement systems.
I look forward to the year ahead, and working with Commission staff, stakeholders and the wider electoral community to deliver well-run elections across the UK. And to recommend how our systems can be further improved and modernised, to help candidates, parties,
campaigners – and particularly voters.
Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss how to safeguard and strengthen the UK’s democratic processes.
Vijay Rangarajan
Chief Executive
About us
Our role
The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the electoral system and ensure its integrity.
Our strategic objectives
- Accessible registration and voting
- Transparent political campaigning and compliant political finance
- Resilient local electoral services
- Fair and effective electoral law
- A modern and sustainable electoral system
Our vision is to ensure people trust, value, and take part in elections and referendums. We aim to achieve this vision by delivering the strategic objectives set out in our Corporate Plan.
These strategic objectives are the basis on which we evaluate the Commission’s performance for the year.
Enabling factors
To ensure we are equipped as an organisation to meet these objectives, we have identified three key enabling activities.
We continue to demonstrate our independence and integrity by taking decisions on the evidence and being transparent about the reasons for them; basing our policy positions and recommendations on analysis of evidence; effectively communicating our work and views; providing responsive services to those we support; and maintaining effective governance arrangements.
We implement refreshed working practices to reflect wider changes in our work environment and culture; attract, retain and develop the people we need; maintain and improve high standards of management, with a focus on developing our people; and further embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work.
We procure and implement value for money technology that improves service delivery as appropriate; maintain a sound prudent financial strategy; continue to develop techniques to learn from experience, seek continuous improvement and become more efficient and effective; develop a corporate environmental strategy that meets policy and legislative requirements.
Our role across the UK
We deliver for voters across all parts of the UK, with Electoral Commission offices in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London. We work closely with the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments. We are accountable to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd, and are funded by each of these for the work undertaken on elections under their devolved or reserved powers. Electoral law is not devolved in Northern Ireland and remains reserved to Westminster.
The Commission is a UK-wide organisation, and the Board takes decisions with that approach in mind. Due to legislative requirements, this Annual Report only focuses on the work done in relation to our role and accountabilities to the UK Parliament. Separate information is available in relation to our work on devolved elections in Scotland and Wales, and our accountabilities to those parliaments
Our year at a glance
Quarter one
- Launched joint guidance with police forces in GB and NI on candidate security and intimidation
- Awareness of voter ID in England reached 92% at May elections
- May elections in England and Northern Ireland were well run
- Published interim analysis of voter ID at the May 2023 polls, providing data on the implementation
- All-staff Commission event took place to discuss corporate objectives
- First recall petition with voter ID requirement opened
Quarter two
- Published post poll reports for May elections in England and Northern Ireland
- Published accuracy and completeness research on the health of the UK's electoral registers
- Announced the Commission had been the victim of a cyber-attack, and the action taken
- Published statements of accounts for political parties to provide transparency
- The Commission's revised Enforcement Policy came into force
- Gave evidence to the UK Parliament's Levelling Up Committee on electoral registration
Quarter three
- New digital imprints regime came into force, providing greater transparency to voters
- Gave evidence to the Lords Constitution Committee on voter ID implementation
- Hosted webinar for Returning Officers across England to support their planning
- Changes to postal and proxy voting from Elections Act came into force
- Submitted evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee regarding AI and elections
- Three UK Parliament by-elections took place
Quarter four
- The Commission's Welcome to your Vote Week took place across the UK
- Launched new-look voter registration campaign, encouraging people to take pride in being registered
- Franchise extended to enable all overseas UK citizens to vote, regardless of when they left the UK
- Commission announced Vijay Rangarajan as new Chief Executive
- New statutory Code of Conduct for non-party campaigners came into force
- Gave evidence to Standards Committee on the House of Commons standards landscape
Our year in numbers
- 296,400 additional voter registrations during our campaign (2022-23: 280,498)
- 86,649 public enquiry responses (2022-23: 11,829)
- 440 organisations participate in Welcome to Your Vote Week (2022-23: N/A)
- 1,500 people provided with regulatory support (2022-23: N/A)
- 81% of party registrations processed within target time (2022-23: 82%)
- 100% of guidance for administrators published on time (2022-23: 100%)
- £101million worth of donations published (2022-23: N/A)
Performance analysis
The Commission’s Corporate Plan outlines the five strategic objectives we are working to achieve over the course of a five-year plan, underpinned by three key enabling factors. The following sections outline the work done in 2023-24 to achieve each objective and underpin each enabling factor, along with work that is ongoing or planned in the coming year.
As shown in this section, the key performance indicators show that the Commission is meeting the majority of targets and on its way to achieve the key objectives by the end of the Corporate Plan period.
The indicators show that we achieved many of our annual goals in key areas, including surpassing target voter registration targets, providing timely advice and guidance to our stakeholders, and delivering timely publication of information on the financing of parties and campaigners to ensure transparency into the political finance system.
However, as a result of the announcement of the cyber-attack on the Commission on 8 August 2023, there was a higher number of freedom of information (FOIs) and subject access requests (SARs) than normal, which put the capacity of the team under pressure. Though response times on FOIs remained within target, we did not meet our target for SARs due to an unprecedented increase in requests.
Further work is also needed to meet targets for timely publication of party and campaigner registrations, and to maintain staff engagement and wellbeing scores.