1. The electoral system

The electoral system enables democracy across and within the nations, regions and local areas of the UK by:

• encouraging people to register to vote, and to trust and value elections and referendums
• achieving high levels of compliance with registration, reporting and other political finance laws
• ensuring the delivery of free and fair elections and referendums

A range of bodies operate within the electoral system to enable it to function efficiently and effectively. These include:

• parliaments and governments
• candidates, parties and campaigners
• local electoral services led by the Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers, who are responsible for directly delivering elections throughout the UK
• the Electoral Commission which has specific duties related to the oversight of elections, running referendums and the regulation of political finance, along with other bodies that have regulatory and law enforcement responsibilities relating to elections