The following guidance has been produced to support Returning Officers (ROs) in England in planning for and delivering local government elections. It has been written to cover both ordinary and by-elections. 

It has been developed in close consultation with colleagues across the electoral community including the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), the UK Electoral Coordination and Advisory Board (ECAB) and the Elections, Registration and Referendums Working Group (ERRWG).

It reflects the RO’s legal obligations and what we, and colleagues across the electoral community, believe that ROs should expect of their staff in preparing for and delivering local government elections.

Performance Standards

In addition to our role in providing advice and guidance, we set standards and monitor the performance of ROs through our performance standards framework.

Our guidance to support the delivery of your functions includes what we expect ROs will need to have in place and what we would expect to see for the key outcomes of the standards to be delivered. You should be mindful of this framework in the planning and delivery of the election.

For more information on the framework see our performance standards guidance for ROs.  

How to use this guidance

This guidance is directed towards the RO and the duties they carry out. As these duties may, in practice be carried out by deputies and/or appointed staff, we use the term ‘you’ throughout this guidance to mean the RO and whoever is carrying out the RO’s functions on their behalf.

Throughout this guidance we use ‘must’ to refer to a specific legal requirement and ‘may/should’ for recommended practice. 

The guidance is for principal area elections but also covers content relevant to planning for and administering parish council elections, mayoral referendums and mayoral elections, including combined authority mayoral elections. 

Where the guidance is different for combined authority mayoral, local authority mayoral elections/mayoral referendums and parish elections, the information will be contained in an expanding section. This means that next to the relevant heading there is an icon with a + which will expand to show the relevant guidance.

References in this guidance to a local government election should therefore be read to include parish and mayoral elections unless otherwise stated. References to a mayoral election should be read to include combined authority mayoral elections unless otherwise stated.  For the purpose of combined county authority mayoral elections, references to combined authorities should, unless specifically indicated otherwise, be read as references to combined county authorities.

This guidance does not cover the administration of council tax referendums or residential neighbourhood planning referendums.

Guidance to support ROs with other types of election is also available.

You can also access Guidance for Candidates and Agents.

To help you use this guidance we have produced a Q&A document that should answer any initial queries you may have. 

This section of the guidance covers the appointment of the Returning Officer as well as the roles and responsibilities for those appointed to this post.

It also contains guidance on the consequences of the breach of official duty and the legislative powers available to the RO to use in certain circumstances.  

Additionally, this section also contains guidance on the skills and knowledge that is expected to be required of an RO. 

Finally, it provides a detailed list of the relevant legislation that the guidance has been written to reflect, and which an RO should be familiar with. 

Every district, county, unitary and metropolitan council is required to appoint an officer of the council to be the RO for the election of councillors to their local authority.1 In practice, at county council elections, some county ROs will designate a deputy at each district council within the county area to carry out their functions. The appointed deputy RO will normally be the RO for local government elections for that particular district.

The RO at an election of London borough councillors is the proper officer of the borough.2  

As you are personally liable for the conduct of the election you should ensure that you have insurance cover and that it is up-to-date. You should be prepared to demonstrate robust planning and decision-making processes in the event of any challenge to the election and a claim against the insurance policy.

The team at your council dealing with insurance may be able to help determine what existing cover is in place and available, and to provide advice as to whether it should be extended.

As RO, you play a central role in the democratic process. Your role is to ensure that the election is administered effectively and that, as a result, the experience of voters and those standing for election is a positive one. You should set out at an early stage what you want to achieve and what success would look like for you. You must also consider accessibility for voters at polling stations. Our guidance on assistance with voting for disabled people provides further information.

As RO you are personally responsible for the conduct of a local government election, including:

• publishing the notice of election
• administering the nomination process
• printing the ballot papers
• publishing the notice of poll, statement of persons nominated and notice of situation of polling stations
• the provision of polling stations
• appointing Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks
• managing the postal voting process
• verifying and counting the votes
• declaring the result

Where the local government election is combined with the poll at a further electoral event, one RO or Counting Officer will take on responsibility for the combined elements of the poll, including:

• the provision of polling stations
• appointing Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks
• publishing the notice of situation of polling stations
• the equipment of polling stations
• the notification of the secrecy requirements at polling stations
• signing certificates of employment for polling station staff allowing them to vote at the polling station they are working at, as opposed to the one allocated to them
• authorisation to order the removal of persons from polling stations
• verification of all ballot papers

Where it has been decided to combine the issue of postal votes: 

• the corresponding number list 
• the issue of postal votes including creating a copy of the postal voters’ list and proxy postal voters’ list and marking it on issue
• the opening of postal vote envelopes including the marking of the returned postal vote statements on the lists and the verification of the personal identifiers on the returned postal voting statements

Your duties as RO are separate from your duties as a local government officer. As RO you are not responsible to the local authority but are directly accountable to the courts as an independent statutory office holder.

While you can appoint one or more persons to discharge any or all of your functions as RO, you cannot delegate your personal responsibility for delivering the election.7 You can find further information in our guidance on the appointment of deputies.

As RO you are subject to breach of official duty provisions. This means that if you or your appointed deputies are, without reasonable cause, guilty of any act or omission in breach of official duty you (and/or they) are liable on summary conviction to an unlimited fine.1

You have the power to take such steps as you think appropriate to remedy acts or omissions that arise in connection with any function of the elections and that are not in accordance with the rules.2  

This power allows you to correct procedural errors that are made by you, as RO, an ERO, a Presiding Officer (or any deputies of any of these), or a person providing goods or services to you/them.3  

A procedural error refers to an error someone has made during the process of planning or delivering the election, which may affect the election process or result. For example, incorrect information being produced on poll cards or ballot papers, or postal or polling station ballot papers being issued in error or not issued when they should have been. The above examples are not exhaustive and you should contact your local Commission team for support and advice if you have think you may have made a mistake that could be corrected using this power.

Where you remedy an act or omission in full by using your power to correct a procedural error, you will not be guilty of an offence of breach of official duty.4  You should remember that the power to correct procedural errors does not enable you to recount the votes once the result has been declared.5

You should have a working knowledge of the relevant legislation governing the conduct of the election. This means that, in addition to having a clear understanding of your statutory functions, you should have an overview of what the legislation contains and an understanding of how it affects the administration of the election, so that you can review, question where necessary, and quality-assure the whole process.

There are management responsibilities attached to your role. For example:

• commanding the required staff and resources to deliver a well-run election
• drawing in the necessary support, skills and expertise from across your own local authority
• overseeing the planning, project management and risk management of the election and incorporating any lessons learnt from previous polls
• identifying and overseeing any actions necessary to mitigate any issues arising
• ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to deliver the roles required of them
• supporting the staff administering the election and providing appropriate oversight of their work
• providing direction to staff, monitoring progress and receiving regular feedback on activities
• if you are not also the ERO, maintaining an effective working relationship with them
• maintaining an effective working relationship with your police Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
• ensuring that election accounts are completed in a timely manner

This guidance is based on, and should be read in accordance with, the requirements set out in the following legislation (as amended):

• Local Government Act 1972
• Representation of the People Acts 1983, 1985 and 2000
• Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
• Local Government Act 2000
• Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001
• Representation of the People (Combination of Polls) (England and Wales) Regulations 2004
• Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) Rules 2006
• Electoral Administration Act 2006
• Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules 2006
• Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
• Political Parties and Elections Act 2009
• Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
• Local Authorities (Conduct of Referendums) (England) Regulations 2012
• Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
• The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017
• Elections Act 2022
• Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) (Amendment) (England) Rules 2022
• The Voter Identification Regulations 2022
• The Assistance with Voting for Persons with Disabilities (Amendments) Regulations 2022
• The Assistance with Voting for Persons with Disabilities (Principal Area, Parish and Greater London Authority Elections) (Amendments) Regulations 2022
• Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2022
• Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2022
• Representation of the People (Postal and Proxy Voting etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2023
• The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023
• The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017 (Amendment) Regulations 2024

The list above includes only the legislation that makes provision in areas that this guidance relates to and that is currently in force.

Data protection legislation applies to the processing of all personal data. ROs are personally responsible for ensuring that they comply with the requirements of data protection legislation. We have published guidance to support you in meeting your obligations under data protection legislation as it relates to your electoral administration responsibilities.

You are also required to have regard to the public sector equality duty contained in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 when carrying out your duties.

As RO you are also required to have regard to the Electoral Commission's guidance on accessibility.

Terminology

In this guidance the term ward should be read as electoral division in elections for unitary and county councils.

Planning for the election

A local government election is a significant event which brings with it its own particular challenges. Having robust plans in place are crucial to ensure you are able to deliver a well-run election. 

This section of the guidance covers the planning you will need to do to support the delivery of the election, including what your project plan should contain and how you should go about implementing it. 

It also contains guidance on staffing and staff training required, the specific venues needed for key processes, and support on the use of suppliers and contractors.  

Additionally, this section also contains guidance on identifying, monitoring and mitigating risk, and developing plans with the police to ensure the integrity of the election is maintained. 

Finally, it provides guidance on how you will need to plan for your public awareness activity to promote both voter registration and provide information to support electors voting, and engagement with candidates and agents. 

A local government election is a significant event which brings with it its own particular challenges. Your work to deliver a well-run poll will come under considerable scrutiny – from voters, candidates and political parties, and the media including through social media. 
This section seeks to highlight some of the particular aspects of context relevant to local government elections which you should ensure underpin all aspects of your planning.

Nature of a local government election

The evolving political landscape could mean that even in places where there have traditionally been large majorities this may no longer be the case. The focus and circumstances could be different from anything experienced in your area before. 

There may be a significant number of new or less experienced political parties, candidates and agents who are unfamiliar with the practices and processes of the different types of elections and who will need your support to be able to participate effectively. 

Particularly given the possibility of close and hard-fought contests, you should be prepared for the integrity of this election to be scrutinised. Allegations and cases of electoral fraud will not only have a negative impact on the confidence of electors and campaigners, but they may also have a significant impact on your capacity to manage the election process effectively. It is therefore crucial that you put in place detailed and robust plans for monitoring and maintaining the integrity of the election in your area. You should work closely with the local police, ensuring you have in place good lines of communication for referring any allegations. For more information see our guidance on Maintaining the integrity of the election.

Scale and turnout

The level of preparatory work you will be able to undertake ahead of an election will vary depending on various factors, including whether it is a scheduled election or a by-election, the extent of the local authority area that will be holding elections, and the level of combination of polls, if any. 

Many aspects of planning for the election will need to reflect assumptions as to the likely turnout for the poll. Establishing such assumptions at an early stage in the planning is of key importance as the scope for adjusting plans is limited at a later stage in the process.

The levels of engagement in a particular poll are often difficult to predict in advance of the election period. You should plan for the possibility of a high turnout and, as a minimum, you should assume that the turnout will be not less than the turnout at the last equivalent polls.

As the poll becomes closer, the context will continue to evolve as the campaigns pick up pace. You will need to be prepared to react to events which could have an impact on the effective delivery of the poll. This will include having robust contingency plans in place that you can turn to where required.

It is vital that appropriate provision of polling stations is made, with the numbers of stations and the numbers of staff within them sufficient to deal with the number of electors allocated to them. Although the legislation allows any voters in a queue at their polling station at 10pm to vote,1 the need to ensure that voters do not face undue delays in voting and can receive a high-quality service remains.

There is likely to be a media focus on the count and declaration of results and it will be important to manage expectations, not only of the media but of all with an interest in the results, by consulting on your proposed approach and subsequently communicating clearly what you expect to deliver and by when.

Before you start planning for the election, you should ensure that you have carried out a review of the last equivalent polls.

You should have carried out a thorough evaluation of all processes outlined in your project plan for the previous election, sought feedback from appropriate stakeholders, and produced a lessons learnt document to inform the project plan and risk register for future electoral events. You can find further information in our guidance on Reviewing the election.

The Commission has provided, as part of the template project plan, some sample objectives and suggested tools that will allow you to measure the extent to which the conduct of the election has been successful. The Commission has also provided an evaluation plan as part of the template project plan to assist you with the review process.

Project plan

You should prepare a project plan for the management of the election, treat it as a living document, keep it under regular review, and use it to monitor progress throughout. 

You should record all steps taken to prepare your plan in order to be able to provide an audit trail demonstrating your decision making process. You should be able to explain your decisions, and you should be prepared to do so in response to enquiries.

Your planning should ensure that:

• voters are able to vote easily and know that their vote will be counted in the way they intended
• it is easy for people who want to stand for election to find out how to get involved, what the rules are, and what they have to do to comply with these rules
• everyone can have confidence to participate safely in the electoral process
• everyone can have confidence in the management of the process and the result.

We have produced a template project plan that you may wish to use and adapt to fit your local circumstances. The template includes a number of example deliverables and tasks and you should also add in any others you identify as necessary, including ones specific to your local circumstances. 

Before starting your detailed planning, you should set out what you want to achieve and what success would look like. Your project plan should include clearly defined objectives and success measures to help you to measure the extent to which the conduct of the election has been successful as part of the template project plan.

You should ensure that your planning reflects the particular context and the nature of the election, including any changes to either legislation or the political landscape since the last equivalent election. 

Your project plan should also identify the resources required, including any new burdens, for example any new costs associated with making reasonable adjustments for voters at polling stations. Once the fees and charges for the election have been set, you should reconcile projected costs for activities against the available budget. You should take all necessary steps to ensure that the local authority makes the necessary resources available to you to enable you to discharge your functions. 

You also need to plan for the implementation of accessibility requirements in the polling stations. Your plans should include:

• where accessibility needs to be considered
• which barriers prevent equal access to voting for all persons
• when you need to action any identified requirements; for example if you need to buy additional equipment - will it be received in time?
• written notes of all considerations and actions taken in respect of any requested reasonable adjustments

You should also establish working relationships with experts at the local authority who should be able to offer support and advice on any reasonable adjustments needed.

A reasonable adjustment is a change that is made to reduce or remove a disadvantage in relation to someone's disability compared to non-disabled people. For example the removal of physical barriers or providing extra support for disabled persons.

You will need to review your plans to ensure they outline your processes and the data protection safeguards that you have in place, as they will provide a sound basis for you to meet your data protection obligations. Your council’s data protection officer will be able to help you meet your requirements and ascertain best practice. In particular, you will need to ensure that you are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller.

Further detailed guidance on data protection legislation, including registering as a data controller, is contained in our data protection guidance. 

Your plans should also cover the potential for by-elections to be held in your area to fill casual vacancies.

Risk register

You should also prepare a risk register which should also be a living document and kept under regular review. You should use your risk register to monitor the known risks and document any changes in risk, as well as ensuring that mitigating actions are identified and are being taken forward as appropriate. Your risk register should identify:

• any difficulties and problems that may occur, and the actions taken to mitigate them
• the seriousness of any risk by indicating both the likelihood of the risk occurring and the impact of the risk if it did occur 

We have developed a template risk register that you may wish to use. The template provides some example risks and suggestions for mitigating those risks. In addition to the risks identified in the template you should also identify any other risks, including ones specific to your local circumstances, and how you would mitigate those.

We have published a non-date specific timetable for local government elections and by-elections containing the statutory deadlines as set out in the election rules, which can be used to assist you in your planning. 

A date-specific timetable will be available on our website ahead of scheduled polls. You can find a timetable for the May 2025 scheduled polls below.

You should ensure that you have contingency arrangements in place to enable you to respond and deliver a well-run election should a by-election arise. Once an election has been called you will need to review your plans and develop arrangements for the specific context and timetable of the poll.

Although they are ERO functions, for more information on the Voter Authority Certificate and Anonymous Elector's Document application deadline see our ERO guidance.

You can also find further information on the postal vote deadlines and proxy vote deadlines in our ERO guidance.

Your project plan should cover contingency planning and business continuity arrangements to enable all elements of the delivery of the election to continue in the event of any unexpected issues or disruptions. It is important to keep your contingency plans under review and to re-visit and amend them periodically during the run up to the poll. In doing so, you should consider the success and continuing appropriateness of any existing measures, identify any improvements and expose any gaps. 

You should also develop and maintain separate ongoing contingency plans to support the delivery of any unscheduled polls and by-elections that may occur.

Your contingency planning should include arrangements for the key areas of risk to the delivery of the election including:

• Contractors

  • You should ensure that any suppliers you use – such as your EMS provider and any external print providers – have their own detailed business continuity plans in place. You should be satisfied that their contingency arrangements are sufficient to enable you to perform your duties in the case of any interruptions in service whilst fulfilling their own contractual duties. For more information see our guidance on Managing the procurement process for outsourced work.

• Venues

  • You should prepare a list of alternative venues that are available at short notice for each stage of the elections process and brief staff on the contingency arrangements for using these venues that may affect their role. For more information, see our guidance Identify and book suitable venues and Last minute changes to polling stations.

• Staffing

  • You should identify solutions to enable you to respond to a sudden staffing shortage. You should liaise with your HR department who can use their expertise to assist you with your planning. Other departmental managers within your local authority, or neighbouring authorities with reciprocal agreements in place may also be able to offer additional support in managing any requirements for temporary staff for specific parts of the electoral process. For more information see our guidance on Allocating sufficient staff resources and providing training and Flexible staffing.

• IT

  • IT also plays a key role in many of the processes required to run the election. You should liaise with your IT services to ensure that you have adequate resources and contingency measures in place to allow you to perform your functions in the event of IT failure. This could include:
    • improving any measures allowing remote working capabilities 
    • having dedicated IT support during the election period
    • storing certain files and documents locally to enable them to be accessed more easily
    • sourcing any spare or alternative equipment that could be used as a backup, e.g. printers, laptops, routers
  • As part of your IT contingency planning, you should consider how you would produce Voter Authority Certificates in the event of IT or contractor failure.

• Security of electoral administration

Security risks should also be considered as part of your contingency arrangements, setting out how you will continue to deliver the election in the event of theft, fraudulent activity, or any other security risk as identified in your risk register. You should liaise with the police and business continuity experts from your council to identify risks and put appropriate continuity measures in place.

Additionally, you should work with your IT services to understand what preventative measures are in place for your council to protect against cyber-threats, such as ransomware attacks. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises that examples of preventative measures could include:

• using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• investing in vulnerability management
• having offline backups
• having a tested recovery plan in place

A White Paper on ransomware has been published from the NCSC and the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCSC has also produced this guidance to help you assess the risks associated with IT and cyber-threats. 

• Security of those participating

  • You should consider your plans to maintain the security of all those involved in each stage of the election, including your staff, candidates, agents and their campaigners. You should liaise with the relevant police single point of contact (SPOC) and force elected-official adviser (FEOA) to identify local risks and put appropriate measures in place. For more information, see our guidance on working with your local police force, security considerations at electoral events and how to manage attendees at the count
  • Additional security guidance for elections for Returning Officers, candidates and agents is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-guidance-for-may-2021-elections.
     

Your project plan should include details on how you will deliver the key processes, including nominations, postal vote opening, voting in polling stations, and verification and count. It should also include how you will meet your duty to ensure that the polling station is accessible to all voters. Our guidance on understanding the barriers to voting provides further information to support your planning.

Establishing realistic and robust assumptions can assist you in planning for delivering these key processes. Sound assumptions can provide useful evidence in explaining your decisions and you should therefore document them. Sharing the assumptions with stakeholders at an early stage will also allow them to be tested by others for robustness before the detailed planning has been completed and will help build confidence in your plans. 

Your planning should include assumptions covering expected:

• turnout on polling day
• turnout of postal voters
• number of candidates 
• availability of staff
• speed and capability of staff
• timings for completing each process

All plans and assumptions should be kept under regular review, and especially at key points of the process such as the close of nominations, where risks may change depending on the context of the election, and which may impact on your planning assumptions. This will help inform a realistic assessment of whether you will be able to deliver the overall plan, and whether and when it may be necessary to implement contingency plans. In all cases your plan should be flexible enough to allow you to respond if any of your assumptions change, covering what contingency actions you will take in such circumstances, and you should communicate with stakeholders throughout your planning process and be prepared to explain the reasons for the decisions you are taking. For key decisions, you should provide your reasons to stakeholders in writing.

Turnout

The expected turnout is a crucial factor in determining your planning and understanding what resources will be needed for most processes, in particular for polling stations and the verification and count. You should decide what the expected turnout is likely to be - taking into account the potential for late engagement and interest in the elections by which point scope for adjusting plans will be limited.

Your turnout estimate should be based on the assumption that, as a minimum, the turnout of voters will be not less than the turnout at the last equivalent polls. 

You should consider the impact of the changes to the postal vote application process and the impact of this on the volume of projected postal votes issued. 

You should also consider the patterns of return rates at previous polls and anything that might affect this. For example, local events could conceivably result in a late surge of registration and absent voting applications, altering the traditional pattern of when completed postal votes are returned, as well as have an impact on turnout. 

It is always safest to err on the side of caution when it comes to turnout as national and local developments can result in rapid changes to the actual turnout.

The resources you have available to conduct these processes, including numbers of staff and size of venue, will also be a relevant consideration to your planning. 

The number of parties and/or candidates

The number of parties and/or candidates standing at an election will also affect your planning considerations. For example, a large number of parties and/or candidates standing for election could mean that: 

• ballot papers will be large and staff and voters may be slower handling them
• more space will be required to accommodate the large ballot papers
• the counting process for separating the votes into bundles for particular parties and/or candidates may be slower and take up more space
• more space for candidates and agents may be required at the venues

In order to establish the likely number of parties and/or candidates you should:

• make early contact with the political parties
• monitor expressions of interest
• monitor requests for nomination packs 

This information can then be taken into account when taking decisions on venues, count layout, necessary equipment and staffing requirements to ensure the safe and secure delivery of the election.

You should review your planning assumptions once you know the details of all the candidates standing in your area, to ensure that they are still suitable or if any amendments are needed to ensure that polling day and the count run smoothly, safely, and efficiently. 

For more information see our guidance on security considerations at electoral events.

Staffing and timings

You should look at the number of staff and the processes used at previous elections and the number of ballot papers that were processed. An evaluation of the processes and staffing ratios, and when the various stages of the election process were completed, can then be used to inform decisions for these elections.

You should share these details and timings with stakeholders together with the assumptions that underpin them. 

Some stakeholders may hold expectations as to how quickly the processes can be completed which cannot be met in practice and this can lead to tension and frustration. To manage expectations, you should explain in some detail the processes involved and how long each stage is likely to take. For more on this, see our guidance on providing information on key election processes.

You should establish a project team to support you in carrying out your functions and in delivering a well-run election. In addition to yourself, your project team should include any appointed deputies, other elections staff members and the ERO, where this is not yourself.  
It should also include any other key personnel you consider appropriate such as:

• your council’s communications team
• HR colleagues
• finance colleagues
• IT
• your contact centre/front of house staff
• facilities staff
• your local Police single point of contact (SPOC)

The project team should have a clear remit and understanding of the tasks to be carried out. You should prepare a schedule of meetings at the planning stage, and keep a record of each meeting as an audit trail of what was discussed and of any decisions made. Where possible, the RO should chair any project team meetings.

You should put in place deputy arrangements in case you are unable to act personally as RO. You may appoint deputies to discharge all or any of your duties1 and this can be for a limited time period or until further notice.

Any appointed deputies should have the skills and knowledge required to carry out the functions they have been assigned such as assisting with the receipt of nomination papers, managing the postal vote process or adjudication of doubtful ballot papers.

You must confirm any appointments in writing and include details of the functions that the deputy is authorised to exercise on your behalf.2 The acceptance should also be made in writing.

A Deputy RO is liable, in the same way as the RO, for a breach of official duty.3  

If you are not also the ERO, you will need to liaise closely with them to obtain the relevant registration and absent voting data. You should ensure that data protection is considered and that any transfer of data is secure.

If there is a need for exchanging data electronically, you should agree the timings for the exchange of data and ensure that a test of the process is carried out ahead of the first scheduled transfer. 

There will be updates to the data at a number of points within the election timetable, as the ERO must publish two interim election notices of alteration as well as the final election notice of alteration.1 The Commission has published a timetable containing the dates related to the publication of these notices. 

You should identify staffing requirements for your postal vote issuing and opening sessions. The following staff may be required: 

• specially trained supervisory staff 
• clerical staff 
• IT staff

You must not appoint any person who has been employed by or on behalf of a candidate in or about the election.

The number of different polls taking place and your decision on whether or not to do a combined or separate issue of postal votes may have an impact on the number of staff required for the issuing (if this is to be done in-house) and opening of postal votes, and you will need to plan for this accordingly.

You should be mindful of the demands on time the issue and opening of postal votes can place on core staff when considering your staffing needs.

Staffing for issuing of postal votes

There will be a number of additional postal vote issues in the immediate run-up to polling day to pick up those who have applied to vote by post and to register in the lead-up to the registration deadline.1 You will need to consider how to manage this, ensuring postal votes can be issued to electors as early as possible.

You will also need to plan for any particular arrangements that will be required to manage the issuing of additional postal ballot packs close to polling day, where applications are determined close to the poll. For further information see our guidance on issuing postal votes.

You should also take into account the total number of current postal voters and projected turnout of postal voters when deciding on your staffing arrangements, as well as the potential for late engagement and interest in the election by which point scope for adjusting plans will be limited. You should plan for the possibility of a high turnout but, as a minimum, you should assume that the turnout of postal voters will be not less than the turnout of postal voters at the last equivalent polls. Your review of previous electoral events will give you an indication of how robust your previous staffing assumptions were.

You may need to revise this assessment after you have received the final postal voters’ lists from the ERO. You should build sufficient flexibility and contingency into your staffing arrangements to deal with a last-minute increase in numbers of postal voters, an unexpected increase in turnout, or varying volumes of postal votes being returned on different days. Your arrangements also need to be such that you can ensure you can effectively manage those delivered to polling stations on polling day. 

Managing contractors

If you decide to outsource all or part of the postal vote issuing process you should designate a member of the project team to monitor outsourced work and specifically to attend those parts of the issuing process that have been contracted out. This person should also monitor the work of the contractor, which should include carrying out tasks such as:

• spot checking to ensure that the postal voting stationery does not contain any errors 
• checking the postal ballot packs are being correctly collated 
• ensuring that any postal votes that need to go overseas are being prioritised 

Further guidance on managing contractors and suppliers can be found in our guidance on Managing contractors and Suppliers.

Staffing for opening of postal votes

How the verification of personal identifiers is to be carried out, including how much of this process is automated and how much of it needs to be done manually, will also impact on the numbers of staff you will require for opening returned postal votes. You must have arrangements in place to enable the checking of 100% of postal vote identifiers.2

You can find more information in our guidance on the postal vote opening process.
 

You must appoint and pay a Presiding Officer and such Poll Clerks as may be necessary to staff each polling station.1 This cannot be any person who has been employed by or on behalf of a candidate in or about the election.2  

There are some responsibilities that cannot be undertaken by a Poll Clerk, such as decisions on whether an elector has produced an acceptable form of ID, or ordering someone to leave the polling station. You have flexibility to use the Poll Clerks you employ to carry out any other functions and responsibilities needed to deliver polling station voting effectively, including: 

• the polling process – checking the register, checking photographic identification, marking the register, filling in the CNL and other statutory paperwork such as the Ballot Paper Refusal List (BPRL), etc.
• facilitating checks of photographic identification in private, where requested
• collection, acceptance, and rejection of postal votes handed in at the polling station and completion of the postal vote handing in document accurately
• managing the flow of electors and ensuring the secrecy of the ballot 
• providing electors with additional information and support including: 
  • answering questions about the process
  • providing information about the instructions for voting and the requirement for photographic identification
  • explaining the types of photographic identification that can be used
  • providing advice and assistance to support the accessibility of the poll

When deciding on the allocation of electors and staff to polling stations, having regard to our guidance on the recommended minimum staffing levels for polling stations and on how staff could be deployed in different scenarios, will help ensure that voters can receive a high-quality service.

It is for you to consider each polling station individually and make decisions about allocating staff and electors accordingly. 

We recommend the following ratios when allocating electors and staff to polling stations:

A polling station should not have more than 2,250 electors allocated to it. 

These recommended ratios assume the poll is not combined. In the event of combined polls, you should think about whether the management of more than one poll may require additional staff.

These ratios are guidance only; they are not mandatory. 

When making decisions about the allocation of electors and staff to polling stations, you should fully consider the particular circumstances of each polling station and the needs of your electorate as a whole, and document the reasoning behind the decisions you make.

As a minimum, you should consider: 

• any particular local circumstances such as population increases (for example, due to any new housing developments since your last polling place review), demographic trends, and any known needs of your local electorate (for example, any areas where you expect you may need to undertake an ID check in private more often)
• levels of postal voters
• the volume of postal votes usually handed in and the impact that postal vote handling will have on polling station staff time - including completing the postal vote handing in document accurately 
• the potential for late engagement including any local or national issues which may affect turnout and interest in the election - as a minimum you should assume that the turnout will be not less than the turnout at the last equivalent election
• the spread of voters during the day – for example, if recent trends show a large number of voters attending the station in the morning, ensure your staffing ratios allow for this and will prevent large queues from forming
• additional support electors may need in understanding any recent changes to the electoral process, especially where this may impact differently depending on which polls are taking place
• how the voter will move through the voting process from entering to exiting the polling station, taking into account the polling station size and layout 
• at combined polls, the impact the combination of polls will have, such as on the time taken to issue ballot papers and for voters to complete more than one ballot paper

This list is not exhaustive and you should also consider any other factors that you consider appropriate. Our accessibility guidance contains additional factors to consider when planning your staffing levels at the polling station. Each decision should be taken on a case-by-case basis and not for the electoral area as a whole. 

In addition to considering the number of staff you will need to manage each polling station, you should think about how you will be able to respond positively to requests from voters to have their ID checked by a female member of staff. Ideally you will have a female member of staff at each polling station, but where this is not possible then you should think about how you can deploy other staff flexibly to meet the request, for example by utilising female polling station inspectors who have been delegated the authority to carry out these checks. More information on polling station inspectors can be found below. 

As well as keeping a record of decisions made you should maintain a plan which ensures you are able to respond to any issues, for example, dealing with a queue at one or more polling stations in your area at particularly busy times such as the traditional after work rush, or in the run-up to close of poll at 10pm. Voters in a queue at their polling station at 10pm must be issued with their ballot paper.1

Polling station inspectors

As well as making decisions on the number of polling station staff you will need, you should also ensure that you have sufficient numbers of polling station inspectors to support the delivery of the poll in your area. In making your decision, you should consider factors such as your local geography and the experience of polling station staff in each polling place. 

You could use female polling station inspectors to support electors who request to have their ID checked in private by a female member of staff where no female member of staff is available in a specific polling station at that time. To facilitate this, you would need to appoint the polling station inspector as a Deputy RO for polling day. You should ensure that any such appointment is clearly defined to reflect that it is solely for the purpose of making decisions on the validity of ID as part of any checks they carry out. 

More information can be found in our guidance Appointment of polling station inspectors.

Example of staff deployment at a polling station

There are different options open to you for deploying staff within polling stations. Your plans should be sufficiently flexible to allow you to deploy staff to respond to specific issues or needs that may arise throughout polling day. 

Here are some examples:

• if you have one Presiding Officer with two additional staff allocated to a polling station, all three should be trained in the process of issuing ballot papers, checking photographic identification and filling in the associated paperwork. While two staff members carry out the issuing process, the other could act as an information officer to provide advice and assistance to voters as required
• if a polling place contains multiple polling stations, a member of staff could be used as an information officer covering all stations to assist with directing voters to the correct polling station and providing advice and assistance to voters as required
• staff from one polling station in the polling place could also be used to assist staff in another polling station within the same polling place if required, for example as a result of a high number of voters attending one of the stations at a particular time when the other station is quiet

You may also consider appointing a team of back-up polling station staff to be deployed flexibly as needed, such as at peak times or in the run-up to close of poll, or to respond to particular issues that may arise throughout polling day. For example, you could base extra staff at the largest/busiest polling place you have in an area and deploy them to other stations in the area when needed. 

If parts of the electoral area are not easily accessible, you could find it helpful to have teams positioned in different parts of the area. 

The UK government have confirmed that the funding being provided to support additional staff in polling stations is able to be used flexibly. For example, not only to employ additional poll clerks within polling stations but also to support the appointment of additional polling station inspectors or back-up staff as appropriate.

You will also need to think about how to train staff so that you can deploy them flexibly on polling day. Further guidance on training can be found in Providing training to all relevant staff.

You should prepare a list of staff you can approach who can step into a role where a person is unavailable – for example, due to sickness. The list should include staff that would be able to work at very short notice.

While appointing stand-by staff may not always be practical or feasible within your budget, you should be prepared to deploy staff flexibly on polling day to respond to specific issues that may arise. 

You may also wish to rotate staff appointed within your polling station to undertake different roles through the course of the day, such as providing information to those entering the polling station and checking voters have brought the correct photographic ID to be able to vote.

You could also consider appointing part-time Poll Clerks to provide assistance at expected peak polling hours or in the run-up to 10pm. In addition, you could appoint a team of back-up polling station staff to be deployed at peak times to specific polling stations or to respond to specific issues that may arise throughout polling day or at the close of poll. If parts of the local authority area are not easily accessible, it may be helpful to have teams positioned in different parts of the local authority area. 

To be able to deploy staff flexibly on polling day, you will need to train staff appropriately. You should train Poll Clerks and Presiding Officers in such a way as to ensure that both have the technical knowledge to carry out each other’s roles if required and as far as the law permits.

You can find further guidance on training in the section - Training presiding officers, poll clerks and polling station inspectors.

Polling station inspectors should receive the same training as polling station staff in order for them to be able to be deployed flexibly and carry out polling station duties if required. You should also provide an additional briefing for polling station inspectors, covering items that are specific to their role.

You should give both polling station staff and polling station inspectors a copy of the Commission’s handbook for polling station staff and polling station quick guide, and instruct them to read both ahead of polling day and to bring their copies with them on polling day itself. You should give spare copies of the handbook and quick guide to polling station inspectors that they can provide to polling stations in the event of polling station staff forgetting to bring their copies on polling day.

To ensure that voters can have confidence that their vote will be counted in the way they intended, you will need to put in place appropriate staff resources to ensure the verification and count are timely. 

Your decision on when to begin verification may have staffing implications, and you will need to plan accordingly.

It is important that you ensure there are the right number of competent, skilled and knowledgeable staff – and that each member of staff is clear about their role – so that the count is run efficiently and effectively and according to the principles for an effective verification and count. You should also ensure there is an appropriate number of reserve staff in case of staff absence on the day of the count.

You should consider appointing:

• senior staff to assist with the overall operation and co-ordination of processes and the calculation of the result
• staff and supervisors to deal with the secure transportation of the sealed boxes of postal ballot papers to the verification venue 
• staff and supervisors to deal with the receipt of polling station materials and postal votes
• staff and supervisors to deal with the final opening of postal votes
• staff and supervisors to deal with the verification of used and unused ballot papers, spoilt ballot papers and the tendered votes list
• staff and supervisors to deal with the sorting and counting of votes
• porters, security staff and door attendants to deal with the security of the site
• person(s) with knowledge of the site to deal with the management of the facilities within and around the site
• responsible officer(s) to oversee the security of ballot boxes and relevant stationery where there is a break in proceedings or where ballot papers need to be packaged up and delivered to another venue at the end of verification
• experienced media liaison staff
• any other members of staff you consider necessary

While it may not be realistic to expect all verification and count staff to be fully utilised at every stage of the verification and count process, a responsive management plan which monitors activity levels and allows for reallocation of resources could reduce the length of time taken to complete key stages of the process.

There will be an expectation among candidates, parties and the media for results to be declared as soon as possible and this will need to be kept in mind in determining staffing requirements. 

If the verification process is commenced immediately following the close of poll, you should wherever possible not use staff who have been on polling station duty all day.

You must not appoint any person who has been employed by or on behalf of a candidate in or about the election.1  

You should identify support staff and ensure they are available to assist with any public enquiries you may receive in the run-up to the election. There may be opportunities to utilise your council’s existing support staff to perform this role.

The support staff that you utilise should be trained to understand that there are various barriers that disabled electors may face when accessing information or voting in a polling station. Disabled voters may contact the RO to identify a particular area that they need support with in the polling station. You can find more information on understanding barriers to voting in our guidance.

Managing enquiries from the public

You should set up a dedicated team to deal with a range of basic enquiries, such as questions about whether or not a person is registered to vote, postal and proxy voting and the location of polling stations. Where you are not also the ERO, you will need to work with the ERO for your local authority as appropriate to facilitate this. 

Staff dealing with public enquiries should receive training to deal with them and also be provided with:

• agreed responses to frequently asked questions
• a list of the locations of polling stations
• details of key dates in the election timetable 
• details of the process in place to escalate more complex enquiries to the election team

We have developed a template of FAQs for front line staff which you can adapt to fit your local circumstances. 

Processing applications

The ERO should consider whether they will need any additional support staff to assist with the processing of registration and absent vote applications in the lead-up to the election – and in particular in the lead-up to the registration deadline on the 12th working day before the poll. Where you are not also the ERO, you should liaise with them to understand how they will manage the likely increase in applications close to deadlines, so that all staff involved in the election and the managing of queries have a clear understanding and can inform electors appropriately.

Further information on processing registration and absent vote applications in the lead-up to an election can be found in the Running Electoral Registration and Absent voting sections of the Commission’s guidance for EROs.

Receiving postal votes at the council offices

Only people authorised to act on your behalf can receive postal votes returned by hand to you. You should consider whether you will authorise additional support staff to assist with the receipt of completed postal votes that are returned by members of the public to council offices.

You should keep a record of the people you have authorised to act on your behalf and receive postal votes returned by hand.

Our guidance about the procedure to be followed when postal votes are handed in to the Returning Officer at council offices has more information. 

You should establish a training plan at an early stage in your planning for the election which identifies the training needs of both permanent and temporary staff in the delivery of their roles. 

Each member of the team, whether permanent or temporary, needs to understand their particular role and any statutory obligations associated with the work they are undertaking. All staff should receive training on the legislative requirements and responsibilities relevant to their role, as well as training on understanding accessibility needs, ensuring equal access and good customer care.

Your plan should also include how you will evaluate the training sessions and materials used in order to inform future planning. If you have training or learning and development personnel within your council they may be able to assist you with this process.

Data protection training

Whilst the training you offer each member of the team will be tailored to their specific role, everyone handling personal data should be aware of and trained in the legal requirements for handling personal data in line with data protection legislation. 

You should discuss your plans for data protection training with your council’s Data Protection Officer. Data protection training will help you to embed the data protection principles in your work and demonstrate compliance with data protection legislation. 

Presiding Officers, Poll Clerks and other front line staff are frequently the only members of your staff that voters will meet in person. It is essential that such staff are trained to understand their role and to perform their duties professionally and effectively, and are able to provide a high standard of customer care. 

Such staff need to be able to communicate well with all voters. To ensure that staff understand the barriers that some disabled people face when voting, accessibility issues should be covered in training. 

You should give polling station staff and polling station inspectors a copy of the Commission’s handbook for polling station staff and polling station quick guide and instruct them to read both ahead of polling day and to bring their copies with them on polling day itself.

Polling station inspectors will also need spare copies of the handbook and quick guide to give to polling station staff who have forgotten to bring their copies on polling day.

All polling station staff should be required to attend a training session. The training session should address:

• the tasks to be carried out ahead of polling day 
• the setting up and management of the polling station 
• who can attend a polling station and the procedures to be followed on polling day itself including checking photographic ID, marking the register and filling in the required forms during the poll
• the process for collection, acceptance, and rejection of postal votes handed in at the polling station and completion of the postal vote handing in document accurately 
• the need for polling station staff to be customer-focused and to offer assistance to all voters, including being aware of accessibility needs for disabled voters 
• the security of election stationery, including returned postal votes
• the importance of handling personal data in line with data protection legislation
• the procedures to be followed at the close of poll
• health and safety issues

You should provide polling station staff and polling station inspectors with contact numbers for use in the event of any problems. As well as numbers for the elections office, this should include a contact number for the police.

Training all staff, including polling station inspectors, on the roles and responsibilities associated with working in the polling station can help provide contingency in the event of loss of staff. For more information see our guidance on Flexible staffing at polling stations.

We have prepared resources to support your training including:  

• a template PowerPoint briefing for polling station staff which you can update with any additional local information you consider necessary 
• a quiz for polling station staff and role play exercises and scenarios that you can use as a mechanism for testing and embedding learning 
• an exercise on completing the ballot paper accounts, to provide the foundation for an accurate verification
• a template graphical guide to packaging materials at the close of poll is also available, for you to adapt and provide to polling station staff

Training polling station inspectors

You should provide an additional briefing for polling station inspectors, covering items that are specific to their role and ensuring they are aware of the checklist for polling station inspectors. We have developed a template checklist for polling station inspectors that you may find helpful.

Your training should communicate that polling station inspectors play an important role in the effective management of the poll and should be able to deal with queries and problems arising at the polling station on polling day. Polling station inspectors must ensure that all of their assigned polling stations are properly set up, fully equipped and accessible to all voters and that they can identify and deal with any problems arising. For example, if there are any queues building up the polling station inspector should be able to find a solution to reduce them.

In certain circumstances, such as if a private check of a female elector's photographic ID is required for religious reasons, female Polling Station Inspectors may also be required to attend a polling station to check the photographic ID if a polling station only has male staff.

Training should also emphasise that the collection of postal votes as directed by the Returning Officer is a task that must be conducted with care, making sure that all those collected are properly and accurately logged.  At no time should these postal votes be left in a vehicle while the polling station inspector visits the polling stations. 

You should make the polling station inspector aware that they may be involved in liaising with the elections office regarding clerical errors on the register and emergency proxy applications.

You should ensure that each polling station inspector receives the following items:

• a mobile phone (if required)
• an ID badge clearly showing their name as a representative of the Returning Officer
• a label for the car windscreen with appropriate identification
• a map of the area identifying the location of all of the polling places allocated to the inspector
• the names of all polling station staff and a contact number for each of the Presiding Officers
• a contact list of all of the key holders for the polling places in the allocated area (it may also be useful to have the contact number of a locksmith in case a lock is jammed)
• a contact number for the police
• a ballot box with spare seals
• a sundries box with spare stationery and forms
• polling station handbooks and quick guides
• a copy of the register for each polling station
• spare ballot papers (sealed and only to be used in an emergency)
• a wallet/packet with a sealing mechanism to collect returned postal votes, along with a log for recording number of postal votes removed, the time of collection and details of the person who collected them
• a spare blank ballot paper account
• a polling place/station checklist to be completed for each polling place
• copies of the Code of conduct for tellers and any other local instructions

You should ensure that staff receive appropriate training and instructions to allow them to carry out their duties effectively and in accordance with the law. Training should include what staff should look for when examining ballot papers to determine which should be included in the count.

You should brief all verification and count staff so that they are fully aware of their duties and what will be expected of them. All briefings should, as a minimum, cover the procedures relevant to the roles.

The processes involved at the verification and count can be complicated and you may find that the best way of training senior staff is to prepare a small scale ‘mock’ verification and count with a few hundred ballot papers. This will give staff the opportunity to physically work through the processes involved, completing the necessary paperwork and adjudicating on the sample ballot papers. This requires some resource to achieve but it can be a valuable tool in ensuring the verification and count runs smoothly and is timely on the night.

Prior to the start of the verification and count proceedings, you should undertake a walk-through of the procedures you are expecting everyone to follow so that everyone is aware of what is expected of them at each stage, and how the different roles relate to each other.

Further information is available in our guidance on the principles of an effective verification and count.

As part of any Polling Place Review, you should evaluate the suitability of the polling stations that are available for use in the appropriate electoral areas.

It is essential that polling stations provide sufficient space for voting to take place.

Ideally, you will have the choice of a range of fully accessible buildings, conveniently located for electors in the area, with owners willing to hire them out for polling station use at low cost. Unfortunately, in practice, this is often not the case and in some areas there may be little choice available. 

You will need to take access needs into account when planning the layout and set up of polling stations to ensure that all voters receive a high-quality service. This should include disabled voters who may need additional equipment or seating. More guidance is available on the types of equipment you may need to consider in our guidance on providing equipment at the polling station.

The size of polling stations should be big enough to enable a clear flow of voters to try to reduce the risk of congestion or queues. You will also need to ensure there is an area identified for checking photographic ID in private, if requested. 

You should be able to demonstrate that assessments have been conducted of the polling stations to be used at the election. Where access problems exist, you should document the problems, identify potential improvements and record any action taken to try to remedy these problems.

You should ensure that any additional equipment required to make the polling station accessible will be delivered and set up before the opening of the poll.

The polling station handbook provides further information on how to set up polling stations to ensure they are accessible for all voters.

You should ensure that the verification and count processes are designed and managed to secure an accurate result, with a clear audit trail and that they are transparent, with everything carried out in clear view of all those entitled to attend.

The verification and count may take place at different venues and in these circumstances you will need to take into consideration travel to the different locations and impact on timings, steps required to package up the ballot papers in accordance with the relevant election rules, and secure transportation to the count venue.

Selecting the venue(s)

When selecting the venue for your verification and count, you should consider:

• convenience of the location of the venue
• lessons learnt from previous electoral events
• access arrangements for vehicles and parking
• entrances for those entitled to attend and staff, and for the delivery of the ballot boxes
• disabled access, both to and within the venue
• size of the venue taking into account:
  • the space required to conduct the verification and count processes
  • sufficient storage space for parcels, ballot boxes and other equipment
  • adequate space for those entitled to attend and observe proceedings at the count
• lighting within the venue and externally
• heating of the venue
• platform or stage for announcing the results, and for making regular announcements throughout the proceedings
• acoustics within the venue
• internal and external IT and communication systems
• facilities for those attending the verification and count
• media requirements
• furniture requirements
• security and storage requirements
• contingency arrangements to address the risk of a loss of venue

You should ensure that any equipment is tested in advance of the verification and count and that you have contingency arrangements in place in case of equipment or power malfunction.

Planning the layout

You need to ensure that all your processes are transparent, with everything at the verification and count carried out in clear view of all those entitled to attend enabling them to have confidence that the count process is well-managed and so that they can have confidence in the result.

You should prepare layout plans of your verification and count venue(s) at an early stage. A good layout will be informed by the verification and count model you decide to adopt, consideration of the workflows you intend to follow and the space you will have available. 

To avoid any issues at the verification and count you should put yourself in the position of a candidate or agent when planning the layout to test whether the arrangements deliver the necessary transparency.

However, you also need to ensure that the work of your staff is not disrupted by those observing the process.

In considering the layout and organisation of the verification and count, you should consider that:

• appropriate security arrangements are in place to ensure that only those eligible to attend actually do so
• there are sufficient tables to accommodate the number of verification and counting staff you have appointed and adequate space for the processes to be carried out efficiently
• the layout of the tables:
  • takes into account the number of counting agents that are likely to be appointed to oversee the verification and count, as well as others entitled to be present
  • allows easy viewing by all of those entitled to be present
  • takes into account the number and size of the ballot papers
• the space around the tables and circulation areas has been maximised and any obstructions removed
• there is sufficient seating for those entitled to attend proceedings
• the public address system is in working order with sufficient range 
• the requirements of the media been considered, e.g. by the provision of a separate media area, as they are likely to require space for their specialist (sometimes bulky) equipment
• the health and safety of all those attending has been assessed, for example:
  • any cabling from equipment or media cameras should not present a trip hazard to anyone at the proceedings
  • free access to emergency exits should not be obstructed in any way
  • maximum venue capacity should not be exceeded

You should consider designating areas for specific functions and identify what furniture and equipment will be required for each.

Arrival at the venue

Car parking and vehicle access

It is advisable to designate different parking areas for candidates, agents and observers, and for staff. It can be helpful to have a designated entrance and exit to the car park, to avoid congestion, such as when ballot boxes are arriving from the polling stations.

It may be useful to have staff supervising the car park at this time. Any staff working in the car parking area should be equipped with appropriate safety wear such as high-visibility jackets, and should be trained to deal with a large volume of traffic including, for example, counting agents arriving at the proceedings and polling station staff arriving with ballot boxes. 

Entrance

Staff should be positioned at the entrance(s) to check whether people seeking to enter the verification and count are entitled to do so. It can be helpful to have different entrances for staff and for other attendees. Additionally you should ensure that your entrance arrangements avoid creating a bottleneck which could delay the start of the verification and count. 

Receiving area

This is where ballot boxes, ballot paper accounts and other polling station stationery and equipment will arrive for checking in and sorting. Ideally, this area should have an entrance separate from that used by other staff, candidates, agents and observers, with direct access from the car park or loading area. 

Processing Areas

Verification, reconciliation and results tables

This is where the verification staff will verify the contents of the ballot boxes and reconcile the total number of votes. If laptops are to be used, you should take cabling arrangements into account and consider contingency arrangements in the event of equipment failure. 

If you need to communicate local count totals to an RO responsible for collating the results you will also require an area for this communication to take place.

RO’s table

This is where you should keep law textbooks, Electoral Commission guidance, procedure notes, spare staff instructions, staff lists, stationery and other guidance materials available for reference.

Count tables

These should provide proper separation for the staff and counting agents. Where space permits, chairs could be provided close to these tables for counting agents and observers.

You may wish to use measures to separate staff working at counting tables and those observing. However, these measures should not negatively impact on the ability of candidates and agents to oversee and scrutinise the verification and count processes, including the adjudication of doubtful ballot papers.  

Postal voting area

Where postal votes are to be opened and the personal identifiers checked at the verification venue, you should allocate a separate area for processing unopened packets of accepted postal votes handed in at polling stations and council offices. You will need to allocate adequate space to receive, open and verify the identifiers on these postal votes, and to allow observation of these processes. 

You will need to consider network and cabling arrangements if using verification software for personal identifier verification.

Tables for counted ballot papers

Once ballot papers have been sorted and counted into votes for individual parties and/or candidates, as appropriate, they should be placed in bundles (e.g. 100 ballot papers) and put on a separate table, so that all of the votes for each party or candidate are kept together.  

Candidates and agents are likely to expect all the bundles for all the parties and/ or candidates (as appropriate) to be placed in one central location so they can see the comparative numbers of votes for each party and/or candidate. This needs to be considered particularly when the verification and count has been sub-divided into areas smaller than the electoral area.

Other areas

Area for candidates, agents, observers and guests

If possible, consider setting aside a separate area for candidates, agents, observers and guests with access to television coverage of the elections.

Area for refreshments

Consider providing an area where counting assistants and other staff can have a drink and a snack – they may be advised to bring some drink and food along or this could be provided for them. The verification and count can be a lengthy process and it is important to have adequate refreshments available to help to maintain staff energy and concentration levels. 

To avoid the possibility of any spillages you should not allow counting assistants to eat or drink at the counting tables. However, you could consider allowing the consumption of bottled water (with non-spill tops) at the count tables. Many ROs also provide facilities for candidates, agents, observers and other attendees to purchase refreshments on site.

Media area

The requirements for the media area will depend upon the types of media represented and their respective needs. For example, if television cameras are present, any lighting should not cause undue heat or glare which might impair the efficiency of the count, and cameras must not be allowed to film close-ups of the ballot papers. In addition, it is important that there are no trailing cables for count attendees to trip over, and that any equipment installed is safely positioned.

You could consider establishing areas for media representatives that allow the opportunity to oversee the proceedings from a distance and fulfil their role to report on the progress and results throughout the event.

Declaration area

A raised platform on which the local totals/results can be declared. If space allows you should gather candidates together for the announcements and allow acceptance and concession speeches. 

If you decide that these traditional arrangements will not be feasible at your venue, you should ensure that you are nevertheless able to communicate the results of the polls in line with legislative requirements and that all stakeholders, including media representatives, are aware of your planned arrangements in advance.
 

You can outsource particular work required to deliver the election, but not the responsibility for ensuring compliance with the legislation. 

Do not automatically assume that outsourcing is your only and best option. You should make an assessment of the need to outsource. Your decision should be taken as part of an assessment of the costs, risks and benefits of outsourcing work, compared to in-house delivery by your staff. 

Your review of previous electoral events and consideration of the specific requirements for the election will help to inform your decision as to whether or not to outsource a particular function or task.

If outsourcing is considered appropriate, your project plan should cover the management of contractors and suppliers and the development and management of contracts.

Finding printers

If you decide to outsource production and are having difficulty finding a suitable printer, the British Printing Industries Federation may be contacted for assistance:

British Printing Industries Federation
Head Office
Unit 2 
Villiers Court
Meriden Business Park
Copse Drive
Coventry
CV5 9RN
Tel: 0845 250 7050
www.britishprint.com

Voters and campaigners should be confident that:

• elections are free from fraud
• everyone can safely take part in the election process
• votes cast will be counted in the way that voters intended
• the results you declare are true and accurate 

Trust and confidence in the integrity and security of elections is essential but can be fragile. It will be difficult for you to rebuild trust or confidence which has been lost as a result of allegations or proven cases of fraud. It is also vital that candidates and campaigners can participate free from intimidation or risk.

You should put in place effective strategies for managing the safe delivery of electoral events and the prevention of electoral fraud from the outset. You will also need to be prepared to work with the police, including your police single point of contact (SPOC), force elected-official adviser (FEOA), and prosecutors to subsequently investigate any live issues or allegations which might be made. 

You should cover your approach to maintaining the security of the election and tackling electoral fraud with parties, candidates and agents at briefing sessions and as part of any written information provided to them. You should also invite the police to attend any such briefing sessions and invite them to supply you with any relevant documentation to include in your information pack.

This guidance deals specifically with the risk of electoral fraud in relation to election processes. Information on dealing with integrity issues related to fraudulent registration or absent vote applications can be found in the ERO guidance:

Identifying suspicious registration applications

Identifying suspicious absent vote applications

Offences

There are a number of electoral offences specified in electoral law. Our guidance for candidates and agents provides information on these offences.  

Local government elections

Parish elections

Combined authority mayoral elections

Combined county authority mayoral elections

Local authority mayoral elections

Dealing with allegations of financial offences

Candidates and their agents must follow rules set out in legislation about how much they can spend at an election. We produce guidance for candidates and agents, parties and non-party campaigners outlining rules on spending. 

Any queries on election spending should be referred to the Electoral Commission’s Party Election Finance team via email: [email protected] or telephone: 0333 103 1928

You should have in place plans and processes to maintain the integrity and security of the election. 

Your plans should be developed in consultation with the relevant police single point of contact (SPOC) and force elected-official adviser (FEOA). The SPOC is your contact for election-related crime, including allegations of fraud. The FEOA is a dedicated police contact for raising security concerns and sharing any relevant intelligence involving any elected officials and candidates for those roles.  For more information, see our guidance on working with your local police force. 

The plans should include:

• how you will work with the local police force, including the SPOC and FEOA, outlining the division of responsibilities so that there is clarity about each other’s roles, clear lines of communication and agreement how regularly you would expect to be in contact 
• how you will communicate your approach to maintaining security and electoral integrity with stakeholders and electors, in order to support public confidence in the election
• how you plan to share candidate contact details with the FEOA to enable them to contact candidates and agents directly with updated security guidance. You should review your data protection policies and privacy notices to ensure these are fit for purpose
• mechanisms for monitoring indicators of possible electoral fraud and thresholds for action in response
• specific steps to deal with any safety concerns throughout the process such as:
  • an agreed approach for the notification and escalation of concerns to the relevant SPOC and FEOA
  • regular review of mitigations for specific risks that you have identified
  • establishing clear plans for the safe management of all electoral events including the verification and count
• specific steps to deal with any potential electoral fraud such as:
  • an agreed approach for referring allegations of fraud for further investigation where appropriate
  • establishing a process for handling evidence, so that the police can carry out any forensic analysis
  • any specific risks you have identified in addition to any general fraud detection plans

Specific risks might include the risks associated with houses of multiple occupation such as student halls of residence or care homes where other people may have access to personal mail or where care givers may assist residents in care homes with completing postal vote applications or postal votes.

Making plans to ensure the security of papers

Your project plan should include a review of security arrangements with the local police to ensure the security of ballot papers throughout the process.

Your security arrangements should prevent unauthorised access to or use of the ballot papers during all stages of the production process and storage between printing and the poll.

You should also take all necessary steps to ensure the security of ballot boxes and relevant stationery from the close of poll through to the declaration of the result, particularly where there is a break in proceedings. Where there is a pause in proceedings for the whole or any part of the period between 7pm and 9am the next day, you have a legal duty to place the documents under your seal and to take proper precautions for the security of the papers and documents. You should liaise with your SPOC on this.

Whichever method of storage you choose, it should be such that you can be satisfied that you have taken all necessary steps to ensure that ballot boxes and other items are kept securely at all times and cannot be interfered with.

You should consider the security risks of postal vote opening sessions, polling stations and the verification and count as part of your planning and include them on your risk register. This covers the risks related to the secure storage of election materials such as ballot papers, as well as the wider security of everyone involved in election processes. As such security risks may vary within the electoral area and you may need to take a different approach in particular instances. 

We have developed a template risk and issues register that you can use to record any risks you identify. It contains examples that you will need to consider and, if necessary, mitigate, as well as a log to record any issues that emerge and that you will need to address. Alternatively, you may wish to include risks including our examples in any risk management documentation you have already developed.

Managing the security of electoral materials

You need to decide how the ballot papers and other materials will be kept secure during postal vote opening and at the verification and count, for example, by ensuring that they are never left unattended. Presiding Officers should follow instructions for the security of ballot papers in the polling station handbook.

You should liaise with your local police single point of contact (SPOC) as needed on your security measures, such as the most appropriate method for transporting and ensuring secure storage of ballot boxes and other materials. 

At the count venue, you should arrange to have robust arrangements in place to check in all the materials and paperwork delivered to ensure that nothing is missing.

You should also take all necessary steps to ensure the security of ballot boxes and relevant stationery from the close of poll through to the declaration of the result, particularly where there is a break in proceedings. 

Where there is a pause in proceedings for the whole or any part of the period between 7pm and 9am the next day, you have a legal duty to place the documents under your seal and to take proper precautions for the security of the papers and documents. You should liaise with your SPOC on this.

You will need to have contingency arrangements in place in the event of any evacuation from any premises and consider how you will ensure the security of the ballot boxes and other materials.

Managing the security of attendees 

You should liaise with your SPOC and force elected-official adviser (FEOA) to determine if any specific measures are required for any polling stations and/or at the count venue, based on risks identified locally and the FEOA's advice on any specific security arrangements for candidates. 

All venues should have up to date lists of who is eligible to attend. When advising candidates and agents of details of events, you should include information about any entry requirements and any additional security measures put in place. Attendees should also be briefing on the requirements of the role they are performing and the standards of behaviour that are expected in doing so.

You should also consider in advance how you will deal with any attendees who are disruptive during any proceedings, agree plans with your SPOC and FEOA as necessary and communicate this to attendees as part of your briefings.

You should brief candidates and agents about your security arrangements, so that they can have confidence in the security and integrity of the election. If you have made arrangements to share candidate contact details with the FEOA, you should advise candidates that they may contact them directly with security guidance updates and advice. 

For more information see our guidance on  planning for postal vote opening, polling station voting, planning for the verification and count and working with your local police force. 

Every UK police force has a named single point of contact (SPOC) officer for election-related crime and a force elected-official adviser (FEOA) for issues involving elected officials and candidates for those roles.  

Single point of contact officer

Your local police force SPOC will be a key partner to help you to ensure that any possible integrity issues are quickly identified and dealt with. 

You should make contact with your named SPOC at the outset of your election planning process. Once established, you should maintain this contact throughout the election period. If you have any problems establishing contact with your SPOC, please contact your local Commission team.

Your discussions should cover your plans for maintaining the integrity of the election and your mechanisms for identifying possible issues and what actions should be taken where any suspicions arise. 

A checklist of topics that should be considered at any pre-election planning meeting between you and your SPOC is available to support your discussions. 

You should agree an approach with your SPOC for referring allegations of fraud you may receive for further investigation where appropriate. For example, will you be the initial point of contact and refer allegations to the SPOC, or will they be the initial point of contact and advise you of allegations? 

You should also agree a mechanism for handling evidence, so that the police can carry out any forensic analysis, where necessary. The College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice have provided guidance to local authorities for handling evidence.

Force elected-official adviser

Your local police force FEOA is a dedicated police contact for raising concerns and providing security briefings regarding issues involving any elected officials and candidates for those roles. 

The FEOA is the contact for raising concerns about any act that has been committed with the intention of intimidating or harassing a candidate in connection with their official position or potential future position.  

Your FEOA will be tasked to approach you after the close of nominations, but it is good practice to contact your FEOA at the outset of your election planning process and you should maintain contact throughout the election period.

FEOAs will want to approach all candidates in order to deliver a standardised security briefing and updated security guidance. You should make arrangements to share candidate contact details where possible (such as email addresses and telephone numbers) with your FEOA so that they can contact them directly. You will need to work with your data protection team on your proposed approach and ensure you have the correct processes and data protection measures in place, including how you will make candidates aware of how their data will be used and how they can opt out of this if they choose to. For more information, see our guidance on the lawful basis for processing personal data.

Making plans with your local police force

You should take all necessary steps to ensure that police officers (which can include police community support officers) attend at polling stations or call in during polling day, as appropriate, and discuss any security issues relating to any other aspects of the process including community safety for voters.

You may also decide to undertake joint publicity work with the police to support your work in maintaining the integrity of the election. For example, you could collaborate on running public awareness campaigns within the electoral area to highlight what can be done to help detect and prevent electoral fraud. 

A template memorandum of understanding between the Returning Officer and the police on the joint planning for elections and the reporting and investigating of electoral malpractice is available on the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice website.

It is important that once you have put in place your plans for monitoring and maintaining the integrity of the election in your area you offer clear advice to candidates, agents and electors on how to make allegations to ensure an effective and consistent approach is taken to managing them.  

You should ensure that all candidates and agents understand:

• how to raise specific concerns about electoral fraud relating to the election
• what type and level of evidence will be necessary to enable allegations to be investigated by the police
• how allegations will be dealt with
• what information and feedback they should be able to expect about the progress of any investigations 

The police will investigate any allegations of fraud until, following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), they are either satisfied that no further action is necessary or appropriate, or they forward the case file to the CPS for prosecution. The police should keep you and, where appropriate, the ERO informed of the progress of the case.

The Commission and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (formerly the Association of Chief Police Officers) have supported the College of Policing to produce a manual of guidance for policing elections in England and Wales. 

Following consultation with Returning Officers, police forces and political parties, the Commission has produced a Code of Conduct for campaigners at elections and referendums. The code applies to all campaigners and sets out agreed standards of appropriate behaviour before and during an election or referendum.

The College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice has developed a template letter seeking agreement from candidates to abide by the Code of Conduct and you should provide this to all candidates standing at a local election. 

The Code also makes it clear that if an RO considers it appropriate to address further specific local risks, and has consulted with the relevant national and local parties, we will support them in introducing additional local provisions which go beyond the terms of the nationally agreed code.

The code also covers the requirement for photographic identification to be shown at polling stations. We consulted with the political parties that sit on the Westminster Parliamentary Parties Panel on this update to the code.

You must take appropriate steps to encourage the participation of electors in the election, and in carrying out such activity you must have regard to any guidance issued by the Electoral Commission.1 Part of this engagement activity should include how you will communicate the voting process and support available for disabled voters. This should be both directly with local disability organisations and more general signposting to accessible communications, such as providing online versions of documents that are easy-read, compatible with screen-readers, or available in large print.

Where you are not also the ERO, you should liaise with them to ensure that all of your activities are aligned and are designed to maximise impact ahead of the registration deadline. For more information on engagement as an ERO see our guidance on Your public engagement strategy and registration plan.

Your activity and messaging should aim to ensure that everyone who wants to vote has the information to do so, and can vote using their preferred method. All outgoing communications should provide appropriate contact details to allow anyone to respond and obtain further information.

When planning your activity you should consider and document:

• the identification of your target audience
• the objectives and success measures of the activity 
• any risks – and mitigation of those risks
• resources – both financial and staffing
• plans for collaborative working with relevant local partners, including experts in the communications department of the local authority

You should identify the most effective methods to ensure your public awareness activity reaches as wide an audience as possible and that it provides essential information electors need to enable them to take part in the election. You should use your website, social media and traditional methods such as notice boards to communicate this information. 

Information required by electors in order to successfully participate may include:

• details of the election itself
• the date and hours of poll
• different options for voting (e.g. in a polling station, postal or proxy voting)
• the location of polling stations
• any key deadlines (e.g. deadlines for applying for postal or proxy votes)
• how to register to vote
• requirement to show an accepted form of photographic ID in order to vote in a polling station
• how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, including the requirement for ID checks
• how to return their postal vote (e.g. by post or in person at a polling station or to a council building)
• the number of postal votes that can be handed in by an individual, the restrictions on who can hand in postal votes and the requirement to complete a postal vote return form
• how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector's Document
• how to vote (i.e. how to mark the ballot paper)
• assistance available to electors and how to request reasonable adjustments (e.g. equipment to enable disabled voters to vote independently in the polling station) and how to request information in alternative formats (e.g. braille, easy read, large print)
• how votes are counted
• how the result will be made known

In the lead-up to scheduled polls, the Commission may run a public awareness campaign to encourage registration. Such a campaign will usually involve mass media advertising, working with partners and public relations activities. We will also provide resources that can be used locally, such as posters, online banners, template press releases and social media content. 

The Commission provides public awareness resources to support electors in understanding the requirement for photographic ID in relevant election types. This includes resources specifically for different groups who might need greater support to provide acceptable forms of photographic ID.

The Commission will provide a suite of resources which can help you to promote information about the voting process and support available for disabled people, including resources which will signpost to guidance on accessible communications. This information is available with our guidance on Enabling and making voting easier in polling stations.

We will provide you with information on our public awareness campaigns via the EA Bulletin. We also publish a voter registration newsletter, Roll Call, which aims to help local council communications teams stay up-to-date with the latest campaign information and resources. You and your council communications team can sign up to receive the newsletter here.

The Commission also provides absent vote application forms to support electors in the postal and proxy vote application process. 
 

Enquiries resulting from public awareness activity

You need to consider how you will receive feedback and enquiries from both your general public awareness messaging and more focused activity such as specific assistance available for disabled electors.

While most public enquiries will be easy to manage via your contact centre or support staff you should have a clearly communicated process for reasonable adjustment requests.

Requests may include making polling station notices available in braille, easy read or in a pictorial format, or different types of equipment or support to enable a person to vote independently in a polling station such as audio devices or hearing induction loops.

Staff dealing with these types of enquiries will need to be trained to understand the barriers that voters may face, the different types of alternative formats for information that are available and the types of equipment that you provide in polling stations.

More guidance on managing requests for additional support and equipment to voters is available. 

When you are required to publish notices you should post them in conspicuous places within the electoral area. This should include local authority offices, noticeboards, libraries and other public buildings. The notice may also be given in such other manner as you think fit.1  

In order to ensure that voters can receive the information they need, in an accessible format and within time for them to cast their vote, you should ensure that information on the poll, including the notice of election and notice of poll, are easily accessible to voters, such as through the local authority website.

If you are making information available on your website you should ensure it is accessible to all voters. For example, if you are providing information in PDF format, you should be aware that if certain steps are not followed when creating PDFs they may not be compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies. The UK Government has produced a guide to producing accessible PDFs you can refer to. You could also speak to your authority’s equalities officer for advice. 

You should have robust proof-checking processes in place to ensure that there are no errors on the notices you are required to publish. Having robust proof checking processes in place could help detect any errors and avoid any potential data breaches before they occur.

Translation and formats of notices

You are required, where you consider it appropriate to do so, to ensure that notices are translated or provided in another format. You may produce them:2

• in Braille 
• in languages other than English
• using graphical representations
• in audio format3   
• using any other means of making information accessible 

The nomination form and the ballot papers cannot be produced in any other language or format.4 However, both the enlarged hand-held and display copies of the ballot papers to be displayed in polling stations must have the instructions for voters printed at the top of the paper, and these words may be translated into languages other than English.5   

Data protection considerations 

In accordance with data protection legislation, you will need to consider whether it is appropriate or necessary for the notices to remain published, on your website or elsewhere, beyond the expiry of the petition period for that election. Where the notices serve specific purposes, i.e. advising who will be a candidate at the election, once the election is over, and the opportunity to question that election has passed, they serve no further purpose. You should either remove the notices, or remove the personal data contained in the notices, once the petition deadline for the election has passed.

Data protection legislation does permit personal data to be stored for longer periods if the data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, or for scientific, historical, or statistical purposes and subject to the implementation of appropriate safeguards. For notices of election results, for example, you should retain these on your website as they are for public interest and historical and statistical purposes.

You can find more information in our data protection guidance.
 

Briefings

You should ensure that you offer all potential candidates and agents a briefing session before or at the start of the nomination period. You should also hold an additional briefing session after the list of candidates standing for election has been confirmed after the close of nominations.

As a minimum, your briefing should cover:

• the nomination process
• the election process
• election spending
• accessing the electoral register
• equipment provided to polling stations that makes voting easier for disabled people
• restrictions on the handling of postal voting documents by campaigners
• the Code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain 

You will also need to decide how information about local arrangements will be provided. This will include information on the dates, times and venues for the  key election processes including:

• postal vote issues and openings
• polling day
• the verification and count 

The briefings should allow for the fact that there may be people who have little or no knowledge of election rules and procedures or who have not involved themselves in elections for some time. 

All briefing sessions should highlight the importance of following the election rules. You should also provide information on the standards of behaviour you expect from supporters in the area of the polling place on polling day.

We have produced a template presentation for candidates and agents at local elections and a template presentation for candidates and agents at a combined authority mayoral election which is designed for use by CAROs which you may want to use as a basis for briefing candidates and agents in your area.

We have produced two videos for candidates and agents at local elections to assist with completion of their nomination papers. These resources are intended to complement your briefings and written support to candidates and agents. You may share these links with prospective candidates and agents in your area as you see fit. 

Completing your nomination papers | Guidance for candidates
Home address form and relevant area | Guidance for candidates

Providing written information 

You should ensure that candidates and election agents are also issued with written guidance on the election process and that the information is provided in good time to enable candidates and agents to act on it. 

The purpose of providing written guidance is so that parties, candidates and agents have access to authoritative and comprehensive guidance for reference at any time to ensure that they have all the information they need to take part in an election. 

Where appropriate, you can provide candidates and agents with a link to where they can find the relevant information online and it will be for you to ensure that candidates can easily access the information they need and to do whatever is necessary to facilitate this.

Accessibility 

You should ensure that candidates and agents can easily access all the information they need in order to be able to participate in the election.

You should bear in mind that candidates and agents may have specific access needs, and so may need any information or guidance produced in a large-print or other format, such as Braille or audio, or in a language other than English.

You should also consider that candidates and agents may have special requirements to support their attendance at briefings and you should make briefings available online or via video conference wherever possible. 

You can record your briefing and make this available online for candidates and agents to watch on demand at their convenience, with details of how they can ask any follow up questions afterwards included.

However, you will also need to consider how you will offer briefings to those who are unable to, or uncomfortable with, accessing such information online, which may require you to provide some in-person briefings. You should inform candidates and agents of your proposed approach early to assist with your planning and preparation. Those interested in receiving a briefing should be asked to register in advance so that you can track numbers as well as accessibility requirements, which will enable you to tailor your approach and put the appropriate arrangements in place.

As Returning Officer you are responsible for all aspects of the nomination process local government elections in your area.1

It is important to raise awareness of the availability of information for those wishing to stand for election through the provision of briefings and online or printed guidance, especially for those who have not made direct contact with you or your staff. 

When providing information or briefing sessions about the nomination process you should ensure you include information on:

• relevant deadlines
• submission rules
• subscriber requirements and use of the electoral register
• the use of commonly used names
• the completion of nomination papers
• the use of party names, descriptions and emblems
• any informal checking process arrangements you have in place

Questions of eligibility or disqualification are for the candidate only and you should not give advice on such matters. The candidate should be directed to our guidance for candidates and agents in the first instance. Should they have any further concerns, you should advise them to seek their own legal advice.

Nomination packs

You should prepare a nomination pack for any person who expresses an interest in standing for election.

The nomination pack should contain:

• a nomination form
• a home address form
• a consent to nomination form
• a form for the candidate (or someone on their behalf) to give notice of appointment of an election agent (not required for parish council elections, where there is no provision for the appointment of election agents)
• forms for candidates or their election agent to give notice of appointment of polling agents, postal voting agents and counting agents
• a certificate of authorisation to allow a candidate to stand on behalf of a registered political party
• a form for the candidate of a political party to request the use of an emblem
• written guidance for candidates and agents covering key aspects of the electoral process, including the qualifications and disqualifications for election, the nominations process, campaigning dos and don’ts, accessing electoral proceedings and what happens after the declaration of the result
• details of any local arrangements, such as the arrangements for the opening of postal votes, the poll and the count 
• a copy of the Code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain which sets out what is, and is not, considered acceptable behaviour at polling stations and in the community 
• details of how to obtain a copy of the electoral register and the absent voters’ lists, forms to make such requests with information on where to send these request forms to. You should highlight that the information contained in the electoral register and absent voting lists may only be used in accordance with the Representation of the People regulations 2001 and in accordance with data protection legislation.
• the relevant electorate figures to enable calculation of spending limits
• any other relevant information

Our guidance for candidates and agents at local government principal area elections, parish council elections, local authority mayoral elections and combined authority mayoral elections can be found on our website.

We have produced a set of nomination papers for principal area elections, parish council elections and local authority mayoral elections that contain all the forms needed for nomination. 

We have also produced a set of nomination papers for combined authority mayoral elections where the combined authority mayor does not take on the functions of a Police and Crime Commissioner and for where the combined authority mayor will also take on the functions of a Police [Fire] and Crime Commissioner.

We have also produced a set of nomination papers for combined county authority mayoral elections where the combined county authority mayor does not take on the functions of a Police and Crime Commissioner and for where the combined county authority mayor will also take on the functions of a Police [Fire] and Crime Commissioner.

Candidates are entitled on written request to the ERO to a free copy of the full register for the electoral area in which they are standing.1

The ERO for each local authority area is responsible for receiving requests and supplying a copy of the register and lists of absent voters to candidates.2  

We have produced template electoral register and absent voter list request forms that candidates can use. 

Further information about candidate’s entitlement to the register and absent votes list can be found in our guidance for candidates and agents:

Local government elections

Parish council elections

Combined authority mayoral elections

Combined county authority mayoral elections

Local authority mayoral elections

As part of your plans for engaging with candidates and agents and supporting their participation in the election, you will need to determine how information about local arrangements will be provided to candidates. 

Local arrangements will include information on the dates, times and venues for the key election processes, including:

• postal vote issue and openings
• polling day
• equipment provided to polling stations to make voting easier for disabled voters
• the verification and count 

As well as communicating your local arrangements, you should provide candidates and agents information on the requirement to show photographic ID at the polling station before a ballot paper is issued:

• accepted forms of photographic ID
• how electors who do not have an accepted form of photographic ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate or an Anonymous Elector's Document
• the polling station process in respect of the identification requirement

Your briefing session(s) should also highlight any security arrangements that you have put in place in consultation with the police, including your plans to share candidate email/phone number contact details with your local force elected-official adviser (FEOA) to help maintain candidate safety. You should advise candidates of how their contact details will be used and provide an opportunity to opt out if necessary. 

You should also invite your police single point of contact (SPOC) and FEOA to attend any briefing sessions, or to provide written material that you can provide to candidates and agents.

Additional security guidance for candidates and agents is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-guidance-for-may-2021-elections.

You should also cover what standards of behaviour you expect from supporters in the area of the polling place on polling day and during the verification and count, and the rules around the handling of postal votes by campaigners.

The College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice have produced guidance on Maintaining order and preventing undue influence outside polling stations. This document is designed to help the police think about how best to approach the issue of policing polling stations and offers some practical steps to help them reduce the likelihood of problems arising and deal with any that occur. Although it is aimed at the SPOC it may also be of use to you, particularly in communicating to candidates and agents the standards of behaviour expected from supporters in the area of the polling place. It should be read in conjunction with section 3 of the code of conduct for campaigners: electoral registration, postal voting, proxy voting and polling stations.

Candidates are required by law to follow certain rules regarding:

• how much they can spend
• who they can accept donations from
• what they must report after the election 

You should ensure that candidates and election agents have access to information on calculating the spending limit1 (including the electorate figure), spending returns and declarations in order to enable them to meet reporting requirements. 

At a local government election, candidates will need the total number of electors on the local government register for the electoral area on the last day for the publication of the notice of election (i.e. on the twenty-fifth working day before the poll)2 excluding any attainers who will not be 18 years old on or before polling day. 

If you are not also the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) you should liaise with the relevant ERO so that you are able to provide candidates with an accurate electorate figure that will allow them to calculate their spending limits. It is important that candidates are provided with the correct electorate figures so that they know how much they can spend. 

We have produced guidance for candidates and agents on spending and donations at local elections and local authority mayoral elections, which you can use to provide candidates and agents with information on spending returns and declarations in order to enable them to meet their reporting requirements: 

Local government elections: spending and donations

Parish council elections: spending

Local authority mayoral elections: spending and donations

Our template presentation for candidates and agents also contains guidance on spending and donations

The media plays an important role in providing information to voters on the election and it is important for your communications with media outlets and representatives to be well-planned and managed in order to maintain public confidence that the election is being well-run. 

To achieve this effectively, there should be a clear process in place for communications relating to the poll in each electoral area to be followed by you and your communications team to respond to any issues that arise.

Your arrangements for working with the media should include:

• processes for dealing with general media enquiries
• strategies for dealing with both proactive communication and media liaison in relation to specific events such as the counting of votes and result declaration
• plans for reactive handling of any issues that arise in relation to the election, for example allegations of electoral fraud

Media attendance at the count

When developing your plan for how you will support media attendance at the count you should consider:

• contacting principal broadcast organisations in advance and outlining the press facilities available 
• providing an opportunity for media representatives to inspect the verification and count venue to see what space and facilities are available, to give them the opportunity to raise any issues or technical requirements with you so you can incorporate these into your planning for venue layout 
• discussing arrangements for the declaration of results 
• arranging for sound systems to be used for the announcements and for any live feeds
• making accreditation arrangements for journalists, technicians and photographers attending and providing media passes
• ensuring that there is a nominated media spokesperson in place for the count, and that everyone is aware who this is and that all media questions should be directed to that person
• making sure that the media are aware of any restricted areas and procedures e.g. that camera operators are aware they must not overview sensitive information (such as close-ups of ballot papers) or obstruct count staff
• ensuring that the council’s public relations team are present to deal with media enquiries. You should make sure that they know who to approach if they are asked any technical electoral questions
• explaining the processes to be followed and the expected finish and declaration times for each poll
• putting steps in place to enable you to provide media representatives with a written copy of the results at the time the announcement is made 

In order to assist you and your communications team further with media liaison at the count, we have developed some tips for managing the media at the count tips for managing the media at the count.

Observers accredited by the Commission are entitled to observe: 

• the issue and receipt of postal ballot papers
• the poll
• the verification and counting of the votes1  

Your project plan should include processes to manage potential enquiries from observers and to support their attendance at the electoral processes they are entitled to attend. This should include providing observers with information on the location and timing of the above processes.

Commission representatives are also entitled to observe these processes and, in addition, are entitled to observe your working practices.2  

Accredited observers and Commission representatives do not need to give advance notification of where they intend to observe, but will carry with them a photographic identification card issued by the Commission.

Quick guide to the observer badge types

Observer badge type	Who are they?	Access
	Electoral Commission representatives	Same as candidates and agents, plus access to the issue of postal votes, and working practices of the RO and ERO
	Observers accredited by the Commission	Same as candidates and agents, plus access to the issue of postal votes

If you are in doubt about the status of a particular individual seeking to gain access to election processes, you can check the registers of observers on the Commission’s website. 

You have a legal duty to have regard to the Commission’s Code of practice for observers when managing the attendance of observers.3 Observers will have agreed to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Commission’s Code of practice. If you think there has been a breach of the Code of practice, please inform your local Commission team.

For more information on the role of observers see our guidance for accredited electoral observers.

The following resources are intended to complement your briefings and written support to candidates and agents. You may share these links with prospective candidates and agents in your area as you see fit. 

Completing your nomination papers | Guidance for candidates
Home address form and relevant area | Guidance for candidates

Poll cards must follow the prescribed form in legislation. You must include on each poll card all of the elements specified in the relevant election rules and shown on the front and the back of the poll cards in the appendix.1

You should liaise with your Royal Mail contact (or other commercial delivery partner) at an early stage to ensure that you have appropriate licences in place and that the poll card meets specific delivery requirements.

Poll cards should be sent to electors and their proxies as soon as practicable after the publication of notice of election.

If you are outsourcing the production of poll cards you will need to dispatch your poll card data to your printers and you should ensure that your software is able to produce a data file that your printers can use to produce the materials to the specification required. 

You should, at an early stage in discussions with your printers, have addressed in what format you will supply the data and in what format they will send you any proofs, and this should be included in your specification and contract.

Further information can be found in our guidance on developing contracts for outsourced work and quality assurance checks.

Subsequent issues of poll cards

EROs must publish two interim election notices of alteration before publishing the final election notice of alteration on the fifth working day before the poll. These notices support the prompt dispatch of poll cards to those electors who have applied to register close to the registration deadline. The first interim notice of alteration must be published on the last day for delivery of nomination papers, which is 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll.6

If you are not also the ERO, you should liaise with them to ensure that the timing of the publication of the second interim notice can support the production of your second wave of poll cards. The second interim notice must be published between the day after the deadline for delivery of nomination papers and the sixth working day before the poll.7  

An update of the registration data resulting from each of the notices of alteration should be sent to your printers as soon as practicable to enable the production of poll cards for new electors. 

Further information on interim notices can be found in our Electoral Registration Officer guidance.

You can also find further guidance on poll card delivery. 

As part of your planning, you will have decided whether the production of postal voting stationery and the issuing of postal votes will be carried out in-house or outsourced. 

Further guidance to support your decision-making on outsourcing can be found in our guidance on managing contractors and suppliers.

Contents of postal ballot pack

You must send a postal ballot pack to all eligible postal voters.1 Postal ballot packs must include:2

• an outgoing envelope 
• return envelopes: envelope ‘A’ (the ballot paper envelope) and envelope ‘B’ (the covering envelope for the return of envelope ‘A’ and the postal voting statement)
• a ballot paper 
• a postal voting statement 

In addition you must issue instructional information ensuring that those entitled to vote by post are able to obtain:3

• translations into other languages of any directions to or guidance for voters sent with the ballot paper
• a translation into Braille of such directions or guidance
• a graphical representation of such directions or guidance
• the directions or guidance in any other form (including any audible form)

You must address the outgoing envelope to the elector at the address they have asked for their ballot paper to be sent to and which is shown in the postal voters’ list or the postal proxy voters’ list.1

To preserve the secrecy of the ballot, you must provide two separate envelopes provided for returning the ballot paper(s) and the postal voting statement:2  

• Envelope A – this is the envelope for the return of the ballot paper(s), which is to be marked with the letter A, the words, ballot paper envelope, and the number of the ballot paper(s) 
• Envelope B – this is the covering envelope for the return of the ballot paper envelope (envelope A) and the postal voting statement. It is to be marked with the letter B and your address 

You should print the name of the local authority on all A and B envelopes. This will help to reduce instances of postal votes becoming undeliverable if, for example, a voter returns the A envelope with both the ballot paper(s) and postal voting statement inside it, without putting it in the B envelope.

You should also consider including the ballot paper colour on postal ballot pack envelopes even where you are running a single poll, in case of any late combined poll.

Envelopes for anonymous electors

Whenever you communicate with an anonymous elector you are required to send the communication in an envelope or other form of covering in such a way that does not disclose to any other person that the voter has an anonymous entry.5  

You should therefore send postal ballot packs to anonymously registered electors in a plain outgoing envelope. The envelope should include their name and correspondence address, but must not include their elector number or make any reference to the election or electoral register.

Postage costs

Unless you are delivering postal votes by hand, you are required to pre-pay postage on the outgoing envelope addressed to the postal voter.
 
You are also required to pre-pay postage on all return envelopes, except where postal votes have been sent to an address outside of the UK.6

You should, however, explore with Royal Mail and the printer what you can do to facilitate the timely return of completed postal ballot packs from outside the UK, including the potential for the inclusion of appropriate pre-paid postage for items being returned from overseas. 

You could decide to use a different design of envelope for postal votes being sent to an address which is outside the UK. For example you could add a different colour flash. This may facilitate more efficient sorting, identification and prioritisation of overseas postal votes. 

Postal ballot paper

The form of the ballot paper is prescribed in legislation and you have a legal duty to follow this precisely.1 Further information can be found in our guidance on the design of ballot papers. 

Postal voting statement 

The postal voting statement is set out in the legislation and must be produced in the prescribed form, or a form to like effect.2 The postal voting statement must include:

• the voter’s name (unless they are an anonymous elector) 
• the number(s) of the ballot paper(s) being issued with the statement  
• a unique identifying mark, which could be a barcode but could also be in another format - this mark does not have to be connected to the unique identifying mark on the ballot paper; it may be the same but equally it could be different or connected 
• the prescribed instructions to the voter on how to vote by post

The postal voting statement also contains space for a barcode.3

You must produce different forms of the postal voting statement for anonymous electors and for those who have been granted a waiver. The postal voting statement for anonymous electors must not show the name of the elector.
 
Where an elector has been granted a waiver by the ERO, you are required by legislation to omit the signature box and any reference to signing the form in the instructions to voters.6

You should also design and test the postal vote statements to ensure that the signature and date of birth fields are in the correct place and format to be able to be processed on their return by your personal identifier verification system.

Additional instructions to voters

In addition to the prescribed content of the postal ballot pack as above, you should provide additional, more specific instructions - for example, graphical instructions for voters to help them complete the statement and ballot paper and return their postal vote stationery in the correct envelopes and information on the postal vote handing in process.
 
You should include the information that you must provide to postal voters on how to obtain instructions in alternative formats e.g. alternative languages, braille, and audio.
 
As part of these instructions, you should also include information explaining explaining that their vote is secret and that anyone interfering with the voter marking their vote or attempting to obtain information about who they are voting for would be committing an offence, as well as information on how to report any concerns or suspected instances of electoral fraud. 

You have a legal duty to follow precisely the design and print specifications of ballot papers prescribed in legislation. You must ensure that the ballot paper is in the form in the appendix of the relevant elections rules. 

By law, ballot papers for postal voters and for polling station use must be the same in design and size, except that the official mark may be different if desired.1   

You should ensure that you check with your print supplier at an early stage to establish the maximum size of ballot paper that they can print and, if necessary, have contingency arrangements in place in the event that a larger ballot paper is required.

The final content of the ballot paper cannot be confirmed until nominations have closed, but you will need to make decisions about the following elements of the ballot paper specification at an early stage:

• the format of the ballot paper numbers
• the form of the reverse of the ballot paper
• the unique identifying mark
• the design of the ‘official mark’
• what colour the ballot papers will be

Ballot paper numbers

Ballot paper numbers should run consecutively, but do not have to start at ‘1’. Ballot paper numbers should be unique, and should not be reused, for example the polling station, postal vote and tendered ballot papers should all be numbered differently. 

Form of the reverse of the ballot paper

The form of the reverse of the ballot paper is prescribed and you must ensure that the required information is included on the ballot paper reverse in the specified format.1 There is no provision to put any hatching or other marks on the back of the ballot paper. 

Unique identifying mark (UIM)

The unique identifying mark can be made up of letters and numbers and could be a repeat of the ballot paper number with the addition of a prefix or a suffix. The unique identifying mark can instead be, but does not have to be, a barcode. It is important to remember that the unique identifying mark is not the same as the official mark. 

The unique identifying mark:2  

• should be unique for each ballot paper
• can be re-used at the next poll
• must be printed on the back of the ballot paper

The official mark

The official mark is a security mark that must be added to the ballot paper.4
 
The official mark: 

• can be the same for all ballot papers at an election or different official marks can be used for different purposes at the same election, for example one for postal votes and another for polling station ballot papers5
• cannot be re-used for five years at an election to the same local government area6

The mark should be distinctive. It could be a printed emblem or mark or a special printing device such as a watermark. It could also be a perforation added at the time of issue of the ballot paper if stamping instruments are used to create a perforating official mark.  

The mark should be capable of being seen on the front of the ballot paper without having to turn the ballot paper over.

Ballot paper colour

The colour of ballot papers is not prescribed and is for you to determine. 

Tendered ballot papers are required by law to be a different colour from the ordinary ballot papers.9 Tendered ballot papers at combined polls may be the same colour for each poll.

In deciding on the ballot paper colour you should take into account accessibility issues relating to colour and contrast. Where polls are combined, the colours of the ballot papers for each poll must be different.

See our 'Making your mark’ good practice design guidance for more information on choosing ballot paper colours. 

Candidate name

Candidates must appear on the ballot paper as listed as in the statement of persons nominated. Their names and relevant details must appear according to the directions for printing.1

Candidate surnames must appear in capital letters, including the capitalisation of surnames beginning with MAC or MC and the names should follow strict alphabetisation e.g. MABBOT, MACLEAN, MATTHEWS, MCCORMICK, MORRISON.
  
Where a candidate has listed multiple names as their surname, either hyphenated or not, you should reproduce the whole name as provided. For example Dick Van Dyke would appear as VAN DYKE, Dick on the ballot paper and for alphabetisation purposes their surname would start with a V.
 
Similarly, Ann Smith-Jones would be SMITH-JONES, Ann on the ballot paper and would be listed as an S for alphabetisation purposes. 
 
In all cases, you should use the maximum possible sizes of font. To ensure consistency, the same font size should be used for each candidate on each equivalent line. 

Emblems

If the candidate is standing for a registered political party and has requested the use of an emblem, you may be provided with a high-resolution copy of the emblem for use in the printing of ballot papers. Alternatively you may need to download the emblem from our website. You should ensure that whatever copy is used is in the same form as the registered emblem. 

The maximum size of an emblem on the ballot paper is two centimetres square.2 Do not alter or distort the shape of the emblem to fit the ballot paper. You should ensure that the emblem is in the same form as the registered emblem – for example, do not stretch emblems into square shapes if they are not registered as square images on our website, as this would have the effect of altering their appearance.

This section of the guidance covers the statutory actions that must take place to enable the election timetable to formally commence.

This includes:

• the publication of the notice of election 
• the requirement to deliver poll cards as soon as is practicable after the notice of election is published

We have published a non-date date specific timetable and a timetable for the May 2025 scheduled polls.

You must publish the notice of election by not later than 25 working days before the poll.1 You can produce a separate notice for each ward or you can produce a combined notice including all of the wards in the local authority area with elections. 

The notice of election must include the following:2    

• the place and times at which nomination papers can be delivered, and at which nomination papers may be obtained 
• the date of the poll if the election is contested
• the date by which applications for absent votes (including emergency proxies) and any cancellations or changes to absent voting arrangements must reach the ERO in order to be effective for the election.

The notice of election should also include the date by which applications for registration and Voter Authority Certificates or Anonymous Elector's Documents must reach the ERO in order to be effective for the election.

The address given for the delivery of nomination papers should be exact, and include any room number. This will avoid any doubt should nominations be delivered close to the deadline. You should inform all reception staff at offices of the building and other connected buildings that they should not take receipt of nomination papers. 

We have developed the following template notice of election which you can use:

You must send out poll cards as soon as practicable after the publication of the notice of election.1 Where poll cards are combined, they can only be issued once the notice of election for all elections has been published.

A poll card must be sent to the elector’s qualifying address or, in the case of a proxy, to the proxy’s address as shown in the list of proxies.2   

An anonymous elector’s poll card must be sent in a covering envelope to the elector’s qualifying address.3  

In order to ensure that voters receive the information they need and within time for them to cast their vote you should ensure that voters can receive their poll cards as soon as possible, so that they have the maximum amount of time to change their registration details or apply for an absent vote. 

You will need to determine the optimal distribution date for poll cards and you should focus on when electors can expect to receive poll cards. 

Poll cards may be delivered by hand or by post, or by some other method determined by you as the most appropriate.6  

Delivery by hand 

If you deliver poll cards by hand you should plan for how this will work in practice. You should appoint sufficient staff to ensure that voters receive poll cards as soon as possible to maximise the time to change registration details or apply for an absent vote. You should clearly set out in your instructions to staff the last day by which you would expect all poll cards to have been delivered. 

You should ensure that staff are aware of data protection considerations, and should consider requiring staff to confirm in writing at the point of recruitment, that they will abide by your data protection policy.

You should monitor delivery, to ensure that poll cards have been delivered across the whole of the local authority area and to agreed timeframes. This may include requiring delivery staff to fill in log sheets and having supervisors carry out spot-checks.

Delivery by post

You may use Royal Mail or any other commercial delivery firm for the delivery of poll cards. If you are delivering poll cards by post, you should liaise with your postal services provider to agree timescales for delivery and obtain any proof of postage that the firm provides.

You should monitor the delivery of poll cards, to ensure that they have been delivered across the whole of the local authority area and to agreed timeframes. If possible, you should have arrangements in place to track deliveries to assist with responding to any enquiries from electors. 

Your contingency planning should address how you would issue any poll cards in the event that Royal Mail or the commercial delivery firm you have contracted are unable to deliver the poll cards, for example, due to industrial action.

Nominations

As Returning Officer you are responsible for the administration of a nomination process which supports candidates to stand for election and enables them to have confidence in the management of the election.

The following guidance is designed to support you in the decisions you will need to take to manage the nomination process efficiently and effectively. It includes information on the requirements for nomination including candidate details, guidance to support the processing and determining of nominations and guidance on the processes to be followed after the close of nominations such as the publishing of official notices. It also includes information on the actions required following the death of a candidate.

Providing information on the nomination process to candidates and agents

There may be new or less experienced candidates, agents and political parties who are unfamiliar with the practices and processes of standing for election and who will need your support to be able to participate effectively. 

As part of your preparations for the polls, you will have put plans in place to ensure that you offer all potential candidates and agents a briefing session before or at the start of the nomination period, and are also issued with written guidance on the election process in good time to enable them to act on it. Details of what the briefings and written information should include, and links to template briefings, can be found in our guidance on providing information to political parties, candidates and agents.

We have produced two videos for candidates and agents at local elections to assist with completion of their nomination papers. These resources are intended to complement your briefings and written support to candidates and agents. You may share these links with prospective candidates and agents in your area as your see fit.

Completing your nomination papers | Guidance for candidates
Home address form and relevant area | Guidance for candidates

A candidate is deemed to be validly nominated if you have received the following completed forms by the close of nominations (4pm, 19 working days before the poll).1

• the nomination form (as prescribed)
• a home address form
• a consent to nomination

Political party candidates

If a candidate wishes to stand on behalf of a registered political party then, in addition to the above they must also submit a certificate of authorisation, authorising the use of the party name on the ballot paper (as prescribed), and may also include a written request to use one of the party’s registered emblems if they choose.2  

The party name or description authorised by the certificate must match the party name or description given on the nomination form or the whole nomination will be invalid.3

The party must be registered on the Commission’s register of political parties at http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk and be listed as allowed to field candidates in England. 

Production of nomination papers

Nomination papers can only be produced in English and not in any alternative languages or formats.5 However, you are required by law to prepare nomination papers for signature if someone requests.6 This means providing all of the documents required for nomination and completing them with all of the information given to you so that only the required signatures need to be added.

We have produced a set of nomination papers, which includes all of these forms that you can provide to candidates.

Candidates do not have to use the nomination form that you have produced and supplied, as long as their nomination form is as prescribed. 

Nomination forms must include an indication of support for the candidate from two electors registered on the local government register in the ward for a principal area election and in the relevant electoral area for a parish council election. These are known as subscribers - the first one is the proposer and the second one is the seconder.1 There is nothing preventing a candidate from subscribing their own nomination provided they are registered in the ward.

Each subscriber is required by law to sign the nomination form in the appropriate place.4 They must print their name and include their electoral number in the spaces provided alongside their signature, along with the polling district’s identifying letters.

Once a nomination form has been formally delivered, even if it is later deemed invalid, the signatures of the subscribers will still count towards the number of forms that the subscriber may subscribe.

If an elector is later removed from the register or dies before the election (or indeed even before the nomination is delivered), their signature remains valid and the nomination is not affected.

A person who is shown on the register as being under 18 years old at the time of nomination can only subscribe a nomination form if they will be 18 years old on or before polling day.

At a principal area election and a parish council election, only the first two subscribers on any nomination form can be considered.5 If more subscribers are included, any subsequent names must not be considered at all.6 If one of the two subscribers is invalid, irrespective of whether more subscribers have been added to the nomination form, the nomination form must be held invalid.7

Signatures on nomination forms, once given, cannot be withdrawn by subscribers. If a subscriber contacts you to say that they wish to withdraw their subscription, you should inform that that this is not permitted by law and that the subscription remains valid.

You must reject a nomination if the nomination form is not subscribed as required.10

Checking subscribers are on the register

Subscribers must appear on the local government electoral register that is in force on the last day for publication of notice of election.11 It is essential that the correct version of the register is used for checking that the subscribers are valid.  

An elector may not subscribe more nomination forms than there are vacancies in the ward.12

However, a subscriber may subscribe an additional nomination form if the candidate whose nomination form they originally signed has died or withdrawn before the additional form is delivered.13

If subscribers sign more nominations than there are vacancies or more nomination forms for other elections in any other ward in the same principal area, their signature will only be valid on the first papers delivered to you (up to the permitted number).14

Where multiple nominations have been delivered by a candidate, if an elector subscribes any delivered nomination form, even if it is not the selected nomination form, it will count towards the maximum number that they may subscribe.

You should have a robust system in place to ensure that no elector subscribes more nominations forms than they are entitled to. You should use both a hard copy of the register and the electoral management system in order to minimise the risk of missing a subscriber who has subscribed more forms than they are allowed, and physically mark the hard copy of the register when nominations are formally submitted. 

As you must accept the nomination form at face value, you must accept that the signature made on the nomination form is that of the person listed on the register under the relevant elector number, even if the signature suggests another name. You may draw the attention of the person delivering the paper to the issue if you are concerned, but you must take the elector number and the signature at face value.17 If after having raised the issue you still have any concerns, you should raise these with your police Single Point of Contact (SPOC). 

Crossed out subscribers’ names 

Occasionally a mistake is made and one or more of the subscribers’ names may be crossed out. If the signature, printed name and elector number for a subscriber are clearly crossed out, you should ignore it and treat it as if that row did not appear at all. If asked, you should advise that any crossings out should be clear and, ideally, initialled.

You should not cross out any entry. Where an entry has been crossed out, the first two subscribers excluding that entry must still be valid for the nomination to be valid.

Candidates are required to complete a home address form. It must be delivered by hand by the close of nominations. The form is not prescribed but the information that needs to be provided is set out in law.1

On the home address form the candidate must state:

• their full name 
• their home address in full
• their qualifying address, or, where they have declared on their consent to nomination that they meet more than one qualification, their qualifying addresses
• which of the qualifications their qualifying address or addresses relate to
• the full name and the home address in full of the witness to the consent to nomination form 

The candidate’s home address:

• must be completed in full
• must not contain abbreviations
• must be their current home address 
• must not be a business address (unless the candidate runs a business from their home)

If any detail of the home address is wrong or omitted, the nomination is not automatically invalid if the description of the place is such as to be commonly understood.

The Commission has produced a home address form as part of its set of nomination papers that you can use to provide to candidates and agents.

The home address form is available for inspection by a limited number of people. Further information can be found in our guidance on the inspection of the home address form.

Candidates who don’t want their home address published

A candidate may choose for their home address not to be published on the statement of persons nominated or the ballot paper. 

In this case the home address form will contain, as well as the full name and home address:2

• a statement, signed by the candidate, which states that they require their home address not to be made public 
• if their home address is in the UK, the name of the relevant area in which their home address is situated 
• if their home address is outside of the UK, the name of the country in which their home address is situated 

If the candidate chooses not to have their home address appear on the statement of persons nominated and the ballot paper, the relevant area in which the candidate’s home address is situated or, if they live outside the UK, the country in which they live must be printed instead.

If by the close of nominations more than one validly nominated candidate has asked for their home address not to be published, you must consider if two or more of them have the same or so similar a name that they are likely to cause confusion. If you consider that this is the case, you may add such details from their home address or nomination form as you consider appropriate to reduce the likelihood of confusion.3
   
Before you make a decision on which details should be included, you must consult the candidate(s) affected, if it is practicable to do so. You must then give notice in writing to the affected candidate(s) informing them of the additional information that will be published.

Meaning of qualifying address and relevant area

Qualifying address means:

• where a candidate has selected option (a) on the consent to nomination, the address in full where they are registered as a local government elector
• where they have selected option (b) on the consent to nomination, the description and the address of that land or premises which they have occupied as owner or tenant
• where they have selected option (c) on the consent to nomination, the address of their place of work 
• where they have selected option (d) on the consent to nomination, the address or addresses in full of where they have resided.

Relevant area means:

For home addresses in England:

• if the address is within a district for which there is a district council, that district;
• if the address is within a county in which there are no districts with councils, that county;
• if the address is within a London borough, that London borough;
• if the address is within the City of London (including the Inner and Middle Temples), the City of London; and
• if the address is within the Isles of Scilly, the Isles of Scilly. 

For home addresses in Wales:

• if the address is within a county, that county;
• if the address is within a county borough, that county borough.

For home addresses in Scotland:

• the local government area in which the address is situated.

For home addresses in Northern Ireland:

• the local government district in which the address is situated.
   

Only certain people are entitled to inspect home address forms.

These people are:

• any candidate standing in the same electoral area
• the election agent of any candidate standing in the same electoral area (or, if the candidate is acting as their own agent, any person nominated by them)
• the proposer or seconder of any person standing nominated as a candidate in the same electoral area

Home address forms should be kept securely and are only made available for inspection during office hours on any working day from the close of nominations up to and including the day before polling day.

Home address forms should be inspected under supervision. Taking extracts of the home address forms, or copies of them, is not permitted.1 Once the inspection period has passed, the home address forms are not open to inspection.

Home address forms must be kept securely and stored for a period of 35 working days after the result has been declared. They must be securely destroyed on the next working day after the 35 working day period.

If an election petition relating to the election is presented within the 35 working days, the home address forms must be kept securely until the conclusion of the petition proceedings, including any appeal from such proceedings.

Home address forms must be securely destroyed as soon as is practicable following the conclusion of the election petition proceedings or appeal.

Candidates must formally consent to their nomination and deliver their consent by the deadline for delivery of nomination papers. The consent to nomination form is prescribed and must contain the required legal references.1

The form must contain:

• the candidate’s date of birth
• a statement that they are not disqualified from election 
• a statement that they meet one or more of the qualifications for standing2

The disqualification orders for candidates have been updated by the Elections Act 2022.3   It is for the candidate to ensure that they are not disqualified from standing. Neither you nor the Commission are able to confirm whether or not a candidate is disqualified.

Candidates are not allowed to sign their consent form earlier than one calendar month before the deadline for submitting their nomination papers. 

The consent must be witnessed by another person,4 but there are no restrictions on who can be a witness to the consent to nomination. The witness must provide their name on the consent form and the witness’s address must be provided on the home address form.5

The consent to nomination form can be a form to like effect, but must include all of the signatures and information required by law.6 The consent must include a copy of Sections 80 and 81A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), Section 34 of the Localism Act 2011 (as amended) and Section 30 of the Elections Act 2022.7

You should remind any person delivering the nomination papers that it is a criminal offence to provide a false statement on nomination papers.1 If the nomination form includes a commonly used name, you should highlight that the offence also applies if a candidate has given a commonly used name that they do not actually commonly use.2 You may warn candidates that the penalty for a false statement is an unlimited fine and/or up to one year’s imprisonment.3

You should not give advice on questions of candidates’ eligibility or disqualification but should direct them to our guidance for candidates and agents at local government principal area elections, parish council elections or local authority mayoral elections (as appropriate) in the first instance. You should advise them to seek their own legal advice should they have any further concerns.

Political parties can register up to 12 descriptions.1

You must check that the party name or description as given on the nomination form is registered on Commission’s register of political parties and matches it exactly.2 The party must also be listed as being allowed to field candidates in England. If it does not, you must reject that nomination.3

Even if a registered party is well known, it is vital to check the register of political parties for the exact details of the party as registered with the Commission.

In case of any future challenges and to maintain a clear audit trail you should print a copy of the relevant part of the register of political parties showing the descriptions and party name at the time of your determination.

What descriptions may be used?

A candidate may only use one of the following descriptions:4

• the word ‘Independent’
• the registered party name of a registered political party 
• one of the descriptions the party has registered with the Commission5

Certificate of authorisation

If a candidate wishes to use a party name or description, this must be authorised by the party’s Nominating Officer (or a person authorised to act on their behalf).8

The candidate must submit a certificate of authorisation, signed by or on behalf of the party’s Nominating Officer, by the deadline for the delivery of nomination papers.9

You can check who the Nominating Officer for a particular party is by referring to our register of political parties. However, as long as the person who has signed the certificate claims that they have been authorised to do so by the registered Nominating Officer, the certificate should be taken at face value.

Some candidates provide a document showing the delegation of powers to authorise the use of a party name or description to someone else (sometimes known as the ‘Local Nominating Officer certificate’ or ‘Deputy Nominating Officer certificate’).

There is no need for this document to be submitted as it is not part of the nomination paper and is therefore not required. Therefore, if it is supplied, it can be a copy.

A Nominating Officer may stand as a candidate. If this happens, the candidate, as Nominating Officer, may authorise their own description. A person authorised by the Nominating Officer to sign a certificate of authorisation may also be a candidate and sign a certificate for their own nomination.

The use of joint descriptions

Candidates standing on behalf of more than one political party may use a joint description which is registered with the Commission.10 Such candidates must submit a certificate of authorisation issued by each of the parties’ Nominating Officers (or persons authorised to act on their behalf) by the deadline for the delivery of nomination papers.11

You can find joint descriptions listed on the register of political parties. To view them, go to the registration page for the relevant parties and within the descriptions section, any joint description will be followed by the words (Joint Description with the xx party). 

For example The Square and Circle Party Candidate (Joint Description with the Circle Party) would be how the joint description would be listed on the Square Party page. The words in brackets are for explanatory purposes only and do not form part of the description and therefore should not be included on the statement of persons nominated or ballot papers.

Political parties can register up to three emblems.1  

A candidate of a registered party can choose to have a registered emblem of the party they are representing displayed on the ballot paper.2

The candidate, not the election agent or the Nominating Officer, must make the request in writing to you not later than the deadline for delivery of nominations.3   

To be able to use an emblem a candidate must have used a party name or description other than Independent.4  

In some instances a candidate may also choose to use an emblem of their party without choosing to use an authorised description. They would need to provide the certificate of authorisation as well as the emblem request form but may choose not to include an authorised description on the nomination paper. 

If the party has more than one registered emblem, the candidate should specify which one they want to use.5 If the candidate does not specify one, or the registered party changes an emblem after the nomination papers have been submitted but before the close of nominations, you should try to contact the candidate and ask them to select one. You should also tell them that if they do not select a particular emblem before the close of nominations, you will not be able to print an emblem against their name on the ballot paper. 

The candidate may provide a high-resolution copy of the emblem for use in the printing of ballot papers, or may request that you download the emblem from our website. You must ensure that whatever copy is used is the same as the registered emblem. 

The maximum size of an emblem on the ballot paper is set by the directions for printing. When adding a party emblem to a ballot paper, the shape of the emblem should not be altered. For example, do not stretch emblems into square shapes if they are not registered as square images on our website, as this would have the effect of altering their appearance.

Candidates standing on behalf of more than one party who use a joint description may choose to use a registered emblem of one of the parties that have authorised the use of the description. There is no provision for joint emblems to be registered with the Commission.

A zip file of emblem images is available and can be used by your printer to prepare ballot papers. However, it is the information on our register of political parties that should be used for confirming which emblem to print.

In order to be validly nominated, a candidate or someone acting on the candidate’s behalf must also deposit the sum of £500 with you by the close of nominations.1

You must accept deposits made using:

• legal tender (cash in British pounds only) 
• a UK banker’s draft 
• with your consent, in any other manner2

You may refuse to accept a banker’s draft if you do not know whether the drawer carries on business as a banker in the United Kingdom.

You can also choose to accept funds by means of:

• a building society cheque
• a debit or credit card
• electronic transfer of funds 

You should accept building society cheques if they carry out business in the United Kingdom. You should also accept banker’s payments, which are orders issued by a bank guaranteeing payment to the recipient.

You may accept a deposit made by a debit or credit card or an electronic funds transfer.3 However, you may refuse to do so. Any arrangements for the payment of the deposit by electronic means must be included on the notice of election.4

If you decide to accept any of these methods you should list them on the notice of election and make any requirements you have clear in the nomination pack.

If the deposit is given to you by someone acting on behalf of the candidate, the person delivering the deposit must give you their name and address, unless they have already provided this information as part of their notification of appointment as an election agent.

You must return the deposit to the person who made it or, if they have died, their personal representative, in the following circumstances: 

• the candidate withdraws before the deadline for withdrawals
• you reject a candidate’s nomination and they are not shown as validly nominated on the statement of persons nominated
• the candidate dies and proof of death has been given to you before you conclude the first count5

If there is a fee attached to the form of payment, you can pass this on to the candidate. If so, you should make this clear on the notice of election and the nomination pack. 

After the election, you must return the deposit to the person who made it if the candidate receives more than 5% of the total number of votes polled by all the candidates.6

At a mayoral election, you must to produce a booklet that includes election addresses from candidates at the election and deliver it to each person entitled to vote at the mayoral election.1
 
You must only include an election address in the booklet if it complies with certain legal requirements.2 An election address must:

• only contain matter relating to the election3
• be prepared on behalf of a candidate by their election agent and contain a statement to that effect 
• the name and address of the election agent4
• the name and the home address of each candidate or, if they have requested not to make their home address public, the relevant electoral area as given on the home address form5
• be printed on no more than two sides of A5 paper.6 If the address exceeds one side of A5, be accompanied by a second version of the address that must not exceed one side of A5 paper7
• comply with any typographical layout, margin and colour use requirements that you determine8
• comply with any other requirements with a view to facilitate the reproduction of the address as a page or pages of the election booklet as you determine9
• if the address is to contain a photograph of the candidate, be accompanied by two identical copies of that photograph of which one must be signed on the back by the candidate10
• if the address is to contain anything else as part of that address, as many copies of it as you may reasonably require in connection with the reproduction of the address11
• be submitted to you by the last time allowed to deliver nomination papers for the election12

An election address must not:

• contain any advertising material other than material promoting the candidate as a candidate at the election13
• contain any other material appearing to be included with a view to commercial gain14
• contain any material referring to any other candidate15  
• contain a representation of an emblem of a registered political party registered with the Commission unless the address was prepared on behalf of that party’s authorised candidate (the candidate’s nomination was accompanied by the nomination deadline by a valid certificate of authorisation)16
• contain a party description or joint description registered with the Commission unless the candidate’s address was prepared on behalf of that party or those parties jointly (the candidate’s nomination was accompanied by the nomination deadline by a valid certificate of authorisation or certificates of authorisation for joint candidates)17

An election address may (as long as it meets the above requirements):

• be formatted as the candidate wishes including using any combination of words, pictures and artwork18
• include a picture of the candidate19

If the total number of candidates from whom election addresses have been accepted by you by the last time for delivery of nomination papers for the election exceeds 15, the version of the address that is contained on one side of A5 must be used for all candidates.20

You must consider whether all of the above requirements have been complied with. If any requirement has not been complied with you must not include that election address in the booklet.21

You must produce a booklet with the election addresses of all candidates who have submitted a valid election address to you by the last time for the delivery of nomination papers.22 The order of the addresses in the booklet must, by law, be decided by you by drawing lots.23 Lots must be drawn as soon as reasonably practicable after the last time for the delivery of nomination papers.24

You may require candidates to contribute to the printing of the booklet.25 The amount of the payment that you require is to be decided by you and you should be clear how that payment is to be made. The amount must be:

• reasonable 
• the same for each candidate
• based on a contribution made by candidates towards the expenses incurred in printing the booklet (and not include any amount relating to the postage or delivery of the booklet)26

You should decline to include any candidate’s election address where the payment has not been made as you require.

You may include in the booklet, along with the candidate’s election addresses, your own statement.27

Your statement may include:

• an explanation of the purpose of the booklet
• an alphabetical list of all candidates at the election (whether or not they are in the booklet)
• the date of the election and the deadlines for registration and absent voting applications
• any other information that you determine28

You must include a statement that it is published by you and giving your name and address and that of your printer.28

You must notify every election agent of a candidate who has provided an election address and where you have accepted it for inclusion in the booklet of the time and place where they may check the election addresses in the booklet and submit typographical corrections to the proof of the booklet before it is printed.29

You may, if any candidate and their agent do not review the proof, make your own correction of typographical errors in an election address if you think it is appropriate.30 You should attempt to contact the candidate or agent to clarify your corrections but it is not a legal requirement to do so.31

You must print the booklet and place each copy in an envelope.32 You must then deliver one copy to each elector on the electoral register who is eligible to vote at the election.33 The postage or delivery costs must be paid by the local authority (either directly or by reclaim/invoice).34

You should keep a record of the costs of printing the booklet separately from all other costs. If the payments made by the candidates exceed the total cost of printing, the balance must be divided equally between the candidates and returned to them.35

Candidates who withdraw before the deadline for withdrawals must have all of the payment they have made returned to them and should not be included in the booklet.36

The deadline for the delivery of nominations for a local government election is 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll. 

This deadline cannot be moved or extended for any reason. 

You must:

• decide when you will be accepting the delivery of nomination papers
• include these times on the notice of election

You can accept nominations as soon as the notice of election is published. This allows candidates more time to submit their nomination papers.

Alternatively, you can wait until the day after the publication of the notice to start accepting nominations.

A nomination paper is considered delivered when it is delivered by hand at the place specified in the notice of election.

For party candidates wishing to use a description and/or an emblem, you must also receive a certificate of authorisation and an emblem request form as applicable during the time specified for the delivery of nomination papers. 

No appointment is required for the delivery of nomination papers but you could offer and encourage appointments as a way to manage the potential volume of nominations that you will receive.

The candidate is responsible for making sure that their nomination papers are delivered in the correct way and by the required deadline. If a completed set of nomination papers have not been delivered by that time, the nomination is treated as not having been made which means that you cannot rule the nomination valid or invalid.

Nomination papers must be delivered to a specific location of your choice at the relevant council offices.1
 
You must include the location on the notice of election.2
  
The location included on the notice of election for the delivery of nomination papers should be exact and include any room name or number. This ensures there can be no doubt about where a nomination paper should be delivered. 

You should:

• ensure that only you or your staff take delivery of nomination papers at the specified location
• clearly signpost the location from the building entrance 
• ensure the route is fully accessible or provide an appropriately signposted alternative
• give details to other local authority staff, such as reception staff, of what to do if a person tries to deliver a nomination paper to them and make it clear that they:
  • should not handle nomination papers
  • should not offer to deliver them
  • should instead direct the person delivering the forms to you

You or an appointed deputy should be present throughout the period for nominations to deal with nominations.

There are no restrictions on who can deliver nomination papers.1

You should advise candidates that they, their agent, or someone they trust delivers them, so they can be sure they are delivered to you in time.

The notice of appointment of the election agent may be delivered at the same time as the nomination and home address form.

There are no restrictions on who can deliver the consent to nomination, certificate of authorisation and emblem request forms.

There is no right of objection to a nomination at a local election.

You must keep the nomination papers securely stored and allow inspection of the nomination papers (excluding the home address form) by any member of the public, during office hours on any working day from the close of nominations up to and including the day before polling day.1 Anyone inspecting the nomination forms may also take copies. The nomination papers available for inspection are:

• the nomination form
• the consent to nomination
• any agent appointment form
• any requests for an emblem

After the deadline for inspection of nomination papers has passed, you should securely store them for one year after the election due to the time limit for prosecution in case of an election petition. 

Guidance on the inspection of the home address form can be found in our guidance on inspection of home address form.

The original version of each completed document must be submitted.1  

The nomination form, home address form and consent to nomination must be delivered by hand.2 This includes delivery by courier.

Certificates of authorisation and emblem request forms may be delivered by hand or by post, but cannot be delivered by email or other electronic means. This is because a document that is printed out is not an original document – it would be a copy document. 

For a document to become a certificate (as required for a Certificate of Authorisation), it requires a method of authentication. In most cases, the authentication takes the form of a signature to attest the truth of the facts stated. A seal could also be used. 

Whatever method of authentication is used, the document delivered must be the original document. A copy document is not acceptable.

There is no limit to the number of nomination forms that may be delivered for the same candidate.
If a candidate is validly nominated by more than one form:

• the candidate should choose one of the valid nomination forms – to be known as the 'selected' nomination form 
• details on this selected nomination form should be added to the statement of persons nominated and the ballot paper 

If the candidate does not select a form, you must choose which one of the forms will be used.1

If more than one nomination form is delivered and one of the nomination papers is invalid:

• the invalid form is excluded from those that can be chosen by the candidate or yourself as the selected form 
• as long as at least one nomination form is valid, the candidate can be validly nominated

Signatures from subscribers on any delivered nomination form will count towards the maximum number they may subscribe.2 For more information see our guidance on the subscriber requirements.

Determining nomination and home address forms after formal delivery

A candidate who delivers completed nomination papers by the required deadline will be deemed nominated unless:

• you decide that the nomination form is invalid
• a candidate dies or withdraws before the deadline1  

You must determine the validity of a nomination form and home address form as soon as possible after formal delivery.2 This enables candidates whose nominations have been deemed invalid to submit new papers before the close of nominations. 

For more information see our guidance on Determining a nomination to be invalid. 

We have also produced the following checklists to assist you with processing nomination forms.

Accepting nominations at face value

You must not:

• undertake any investigation or research into any candidate. Your duty does not go beyond seeing that a nomination form is correct on face value3  

You should not:

• investigate whether a name given on a nomination form is genuine

You should:

• disregard any personal knowledge you may already have of the candidate 
• determine nominations on the basis of the form itself

Grounds for determining a nomination form invalid

By law, the only grounds you have for determining that a nomination form is invalid are:1  

• that the particulars of the candidate or the persons subscribing the nomination form are not as required by law
• that the paper is not subscribed as required
• that the RO decides that the home address form does not comply with the legal requirements
• that the person is subject to a disqualification order under section 30 of the Elections Act 2022

Particulars of the candidate

The particulars of the candidate include the description given on the nomination paper, therefore, the nomination must be deemed invalid if:

• the party does not appear on the Commission’s register of political parties as a party that can contest elections in England 
• the party name or description used on the nomination form does not exactly match the party name or description as registered with the Commission 
• the use of the party name or description has not been authorised by a certificate of authorisation signed by or on behalf of the party’s Nominating Officer  
• the certificate of authorisation explicitly authorises a specific name or description and this does not match the party name/description on the nomination form2

There is case law that provides that candidates who give descriptions that are obscene, racist or an incitement to crime should be considered to have provided particulars that are “not as required by law”. This is because they contravene the law and/or will inevitably involve the Returning Officer in a breach of the law.

If the nomination form does not comply with the description rules you must give a determination decision to that effect as soon as practicable after the delivery of the nomination form and in any event within 24 hours after the deadline for the delivery of nominations.3

We have produced the following nominations checklists for ROs which sets out what you will need to consider and specific things to look out for when determining a nomination.

Subscribers

Our section ‘Nomination form -  subscribers requirements’ contains detailed information on subscribers.

If a nomination is not subscribed as required it must be deemed invalid. 

Grounds for determining a home address form invalid

You must determine that the home address form does not comply with the legal requirements if:4

• it does not state the candidate’s full name
• it does not state the candidate’s home address in full

For more information about the requirements see our guidance on the home address form.

Sham nominations

You may come across a situation where the candidate's nomination is clearly a sham - for example, if a candidate has given an obviously fictitious name or address such as 'Mickey Mouse of Disney Land'. In such a case, the nomination form must be held to be invalid on the grounds that the candidate’s particulars are not as required by law.5

When considering the name, the first consideration should be whether the “name” that has been provided on the nomination form appears to be “obviously fictitious” on the face of the paper. 

If the “name” does not appear to be a genuine name and instead appears to be a statement or slogan, for example, you may consider that it is “obviously fictitious”. 

Any conclusion would be supported by considering the wider context. For example, does the name appear to be a political slogan made in response to topical political events, rather than the genuine name of a real person? 

A court would likely in those circumstances conclude that such names are “obviously fictitious” and that the nomination form should be rejected.

Once you have decided that a nomination is valid, it cannot be challenged during the election, although it may be challenged after the election through an election petition.1
 
If you determine a nomination to be invalid, you must:2

• state this on the nomination form
• write the reasons for rejection on the form
• sign the form

In both cases you must send a notice of your decision that a nomination paper is valid or invalid to the candidate's home address (as given on the home address form).3  

This should be done as soon as practicable after your decision has been made. 

A nominated candidate can withdraw their candidature if they do so before the deadline. A withdrawal notice is not prescribed in legislation but we do provide a template withdrawal notice for candidates to use. 

A notice of withdrawal must be:1

• signed by the candidates
• attested by one witness
• delivered by hand to the place for the delivery of nomination papers
• delivered by 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll

There are no restrictions on who can deliver a notice of withdrawal.

If the candidate is not in the UK, a notice of withdrawal will be effective if it is:2

• signed by the proposer
• accompanied by a written declaration that the candidate is abroad (also signed by the proposer)
• delivered to you by 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll

If the candidate was nominated by more than one nomination form, each proposer must sign the notice and declaration.3  

If any of the proposers are outside the UK they do not need to sign the notice, but the notice must, by law, include a statement that they are also outside the UK.4  

After the close of nominations you must publish a statement of persons nominated and a notice of poll.1   

For details on what these notices should contain and steps you should take when proofing, see our guidance on production of notices.

As you will now know which candidates are standing in your area, it is important to revisit your project plan, risk register and plans for the management of polling stations and count. You should check whether they are still suitable or if any amendments are needed to ensure that processes run smoothly, safely and efficiently.

Factors to consider could include the number of candidates standing, the level of experience that the candidates and the political parties represented have of standing for elections and their knowledge of electoral processes, as well as any local risks or issues that could require specific management at polling stations or the count. 

Where you have made arrangements to do so, you should also forward the email and phone contact details of candidates standing in the election to the force elected-official adviser (FEOA). You should ensure that candidates are aware of how their information will be used and provide them with the opportunity to opt out if necessary. For more information, see our guidance on working with your local police force.

Nomination in more than one electoral area

A candidate may submit nomination papers for more than one ward of the same local government area. However, they must have withdrawn from all of those wards except one before the deadline for withdrawals. If they do not withdraw from all but one ward, they will be deemed to have withdrawn from all of the wards. 

Uncontested elections

The election is uncontested if either: 

• you do not receive enough valid nominations to fill the vacant seat(s)
• you only receive enough valid nominations to fill the vacant seat(s) 
• all valid nominations are properly withdrawn by the deadline except enough to fill the vacant seat(s)

If the election is uncontested, you must as soon as practicable declare the validly nominated candidate(s) elected.4 You must give the names of the elected candidates to the Proper Officer of the council for which the election is held, and give public notice of the names of each elected person.

No poll is necessary.

Translation and formats of notices 

You must ensure that notices are translated or provided in another format if appropriate.1  You may produce them: 

• in Braille 
• in languages other than English
• using graphical representations
• in audio format2  
• using any other means of making information accessible 

The nomination form and the ballot papers cannot be produced in any other language or format.3  

The enlarged hand-held and display copies of the ballot paper(s) used in the polling station must have the instructions for voters printed at the top of the paper(s). These instructions may be translated into languages other than English. 

Ensuring information on notices is accessible

You should ensure that any information about the polls, including the notices of election and notices of poll are:

• easily accessible to all voters
• available in an accessible format
• available in time for voters to cast their vote

Information can be made available through the local authority website. 

The information provided on your website should be accessible to voters. You could speak to your authority’s equalities officer or web team for advice on how to do this.  

If you are providing information in PDF format, you should be aware that if certain steps are not followed when creating PDFs, they may not be compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies. 

The UK Government has produced a guide to producing accessible PDFs you can refer to.

When you are required to publish notices, you should publish and display them in a place in the electoral area where they will be seen. This should include local authority offices, noticeboards, libraries and other public buildings. You may also give notices in any other manner you think fit.1  

You should apply robust proof checking processes to help: 

• detect any errors 
• avoid any potential data breaches before they occur

You can find more information on proof checking processes in our quality assurance guidance and you can find a quality assurance checklist here. 

Data protection considerations for election notices

As the data controller you will need to consider whether it is appropriate or necessary for notices to remain published, on your website or elsewhere, beyond the expiry of the petition period for the election. 

For example, where a notice serves a specific purpose – such as advising who will be a candidate at the election - once the election is over, and the opportunity to question that election has passed, the notice serves no further purpose. 

Once the petition deadline for the election has passed you should either remove the notices from the website or remove the personal data contained in the notices. 

Data protection legislation permits personal data to be stored for longer periods, subject to the implementation of appropriate safeguards if the data will be processed:

•    solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, or
•    for scientific, historical, or statistical purposes 

For example, notices of election results on your website should be retained as they are for public interest and have historical and statistical purposes.

For more information see our guidance on data protection considerations.
 

You must publish a statement of persons nominated for each ward by no later than 4pm, eighteen working days before the poll.1

Contents of the statement of persons nominated

The statement of persons nominated must include the following information for all candidates who are validly nominated:

• name
• home address (or, if they have requested not to make their home address public, the relevant area in which their home address is situated, or the country if their home address is situated outside the UK)
• description (if any)

It must also include those who no longer stand nominated and the reason why (i.e. those who have withdrawn or whose nomination you have rejected).2

Your privacy notice should make clear that, under electoral legislation, you are required to publish the candidates’ name and address information in the statement of persons nominated. You can find out more about the data protection considerations of a privacy notice in our data protection guidance.

Ordering of names on the statement of persons nominated

The names of the candidates must be listed in alphabetical order of their surname.3 This is also how they will appear on the ballot paper.4

If there are two or more candidates with the same surname, the alphabetical order of the other names will decide which candidate is listed first.5

If a person has requested the use of a commonly used name on their nomination paper, the commonly used name must be shown on the statement instead of the actual name.6

Where a candidate has requested the use of a commonly used surname, the candidate’s alphabetical position on the statement of persons nominated and on the ballot paper must be made by reference to their commonly used surname.

If, however, you have rejected the use of any commonly used name as you think it is likely to mislead or confuse electors, or is obscene or offensive, the actual name must, by law, be published on the statement of persons nominated instead of the commonly used name.

Considerations where a candidate has asked for their home address not to be published

If more than one validly nominated candidate has:

• asked for their home address not to be published, and
• has provided the same relevant area of the UK (or the same country) on their home address form as another candidate(s)

you must consider whether two or more of them have the same name or a name so similar that it is likely to cause confusion.7

If you consider that this is the case, you may add such details from their home address or nomination form as you consider appropriate to reduce the likelihood of confusion.8
  
You must consult the candidate(s) affected, if it is practicable to do so, before you make a decision on which details should be included on the statement of persons nominated9 .

You must give notice in writing to the affected candidate(s) informing them of the additional information that will be published.10

We have published a template of the statement of persons nominated here.

You should have robust proof-checking processes in place to ensure that there are no errors on the statement of persons nominated. You can find more information about proof checking in our quality assurance guidance, and we have published a quality assurance checklist.  

You should give a copy of the statement of persons nominated to all candidates and election agents as soon as practicable after its publication.

You must publish a notice of poll by not later than the sixth working day before polling day for each ward if there are more candidates then there are vacancies and there is to be a contest.1
 
The notice of poll must state:

• the date and the hours of the poll
• the number of councillors to be elected in the ward
• the particulars of the candidates standing validly nominated, and
• the names of the subscribers

Legislation requires that the particulars of the candidates on the notice of poll to be the same as those on the statement of persons nominated. You must ensure that where a candidate has chosen to have their home address withheld from the statement of persons nominated and the ballot papers, the home address must not be included on the notice of poll either.

You should give a copy of the notice of poll to all candidates and election agents as soon as practicable after its publication.

We have published a template notice of poll here:

You must, not later than the publication of the notice of poll, publish the notice of situation of polling stations. It must give public notice of:1

• the situation of each polling station in the area
• the description of voters entitled to vote there

You should have robust proof-checking processes in place to ensure that there are no errors on the notice of situation of polling stations.

You can find more information about proof checking in our quality assurance guidance, and you can find a quality assurance checklist here.

You must give a copy of the relevant notice of situation of polling stations and descriptions of voters entitled to vote there to all election agents as soon as practicable after giving the notice.2

You should also give a copy of the relevant notice to all candidates. 

You should also be prepared to make these notices available to any accredited observers on request.

The impact that the death of a candidate will have on the election depends on the time at which you receive proof of the candidate’s death, not the actual time of death.

Proof of death is not defined. You should be satisfied with any information that you have received to indicate that the death has occurred.1

Proof of death received before the withdrawal deadline

In the event that you receive proof of a candidate’s death after you have accepted their nomination as valid, but before the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations, you should wait until that deadline has passed. In this case, the candidate is deemed not to be standing for election.2

If the number of validly nominated candidates, excluding the deceased, is more than the number of vacancies in the ward, the poll must be countermanded and a new election must be held.3

If the number of validly nominated candidates, excluding the deceased, is the same as or fewer than the number of vacancies in the ward, then all the validly nominated candidates are deemed elected.

If there are any unfilled vacancies, you must order a new election to fill the remaining vacancies.4

Proof of death received after the withdrawal deadline and before polls open

If proof of the death of a validly nominated candidate at a contested election is received before the opening of the poll, the notice of poll must be countermanded and the poll does not take place. A new election must be held.5

Proof of death received after the polls have opened and before the declaration of result

If proof of the death of a validly nominated candidate at a contested election is received after the opening of the poll but before the declaration of result, the poll must be abandoned, and a new election must be held.6

In this instance, because the poll will have started, any documentation (i.e. issued and un-issued ballot papers, etc) must be returned to you and sealed up in the normal way.7

Any postal votes received back must also be sealed in packets, and any envelopes not opened at the time of the notification of the death must be sealed in packets unopened.8

Timetable for the new election due to death of a candidate

Where a new election is required after the countermanding or abandonment of a poll due to a candidate’s death, you must select a new day for the poll, and this must fall within 35 working days of the day fixed for the original poll.9

New nominations can be made, but candidates already validly nominated at the original poll do not have to be nominated a second time.10

Candidates validly nominated prior to the countermanding or abandonment of the poll may not withdraw, as their period for withdrawals has expired. 
 

The following resources are intended to complement your briefings and written support to candidates and agents. You may share these links with prospective candidates and agents in your area as you see fit.

Completing your nomination papers | Guidance for candidates
Home address form and relevant area | Guidance for candidates

This section of the guidance covers the appointment of election agents, the requirement to give public notice of the appointment of election agents and how an appointment can be revoked. 

You will also find guidance on the appointment of agents to attend postal vote openings, polling stations and the verification and count, and information on the secrecy and conduct requirements for attendance at these key electoral events. 

An election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of the candidate’s election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. Every candidate must have an election agent. 

The notice of the appointment of an election agent must be delivered to you by the latest time for delivery of notices of withdrawal, which is 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll.1

We have produced a form for the notification of the appointment of election agents as part of the set of nomination papers.

You should communicate information on the election processes, the code of conduct and standard points of behaviour to the election agent at the earliest opportunity. In particular any information you provide should provide links to and highlight the new postal vote handling and the new undue influence and intimidation rules. 

Can a candidate be their own agent? 

A candidate may appoint themselves as their own election agent. 

If no agent is appointed by the deadline for withdrawals, the candidate automatically becomes their own election agent.2  

A candidate also becomes their own agent if:

• they revoke their agent’s appointment, or
• their agent dies, and a replacement is not appointed on the day of the death or on the following day3  

Election agent’s office address

The election agent must have an office address to which all claims, notices, legal notices and other documents may be sent.5 This must be a physical address – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

The location of the office must be in one of the following locations:

• within the same local government area where the election is being held
• within the UK Parliamentary constituency or one of the constituencies included in the local government area 
• in a Welsh county borough which adjoins the local government area
• in a London borough or district which adjoins the local government area6  

The election agent’s office address is often the same as their home address. Alternatively it might be the local political party office or an office especially set up for the election.

Candidate acting as their own agent

If the candidate gives you written notification of their appointment as their own election agent, they must give an office address within the qualifying area as defined in the bullet points above.

Where a candidate acts as their own election agent as a result of not having appointed anybody else, the agent’s office address is deemed to be their home address as given on the home address form.7

Their home address as provided on the home address form will be published on the notice of election agents unless that address is outside the permitted area. This is the case even if the candidate has chosen to withhold their home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

Where the candidate’s home address is outside of the permitted area the office address is deemed to be the address of the proposer.8   

Upon notification of an election agent’s name and address, you must publish a notice setting out those details as soon as possible.1

You should also include the full name of the candidate on this notice, and you could add any commonly used name in brackets, for completeness.

However, there is no legal requirement to use both their full name and commonly used name, and you can decide on the approach to take. Whichever approach is followed, you should ensure that you apply it consistently for all candidates on the notice.

The notice must be updated if any agent’s appointment is revoked, or an agent dies, with the new agent’s details published on the revised version.2  

Your privacy notice should make clear that you are required under electoral legislation to publish an election agent’s name and address information in the notice of election agents. The notice serves a specific purpose, i.e. advising who will be a candidate’s election agent, so once the election is over, and the opportunity to question that election has passed, they serve no further purpose. You should either remove the notice, or remove the personal data contained in the notice, once the petition deadline for the election has passed.

Our guidance on data protection covers the requirements of a privacy notice and document retention considerations.

Once an election agent has been appointed by a candidate they cannot resign from their role. Only the candidate may revoke the appointment. In this case the candidate would need to appoint a new election agent or would become their own agent.1

If a candidate is acting as their own election agent, irrespective of whether they became an agent as a result of not appointing one or because they had given you written notice of their own appointment, they can also revoke their own appointment and appoint a new agent.2  

Wherever a candidate revokes the appointment of an election agent they must notify you in writing.3 You must then publish a revised version of the notice of election agents. A candidate may revoke the appointment of an election agent at any time during the election period.

Where possible if an election agent is revoked but has already been involved in authorising expenditure or campaign materials the candidate should consider getting a declaration of some sort from that previous agent if possible for any expenses which occurred at the time during which they were appointed to accompany the final expenses returns. 

Election agents may also appoint sub-agents to act on their behalf in any part of the combined authority area.1  

Notification of any sub-agent appointment must be made to the CARO by the fifth working day before the poll.2  

Upon notification of a sub-agent’s name and address, the CARO must publish a notice setting out those details, the name of the candidate, and the part of the combined authority area within which the sub-agent is appointed to act, as soon as possible.3  

The CARO should provide you, as local RO, with a copy of the notice and you should publish that within your area. 

The CARO must update the notice if any sub-agent’s appointment is revoked, or a sub-agent dies, with the new agent’s details published on a revised version.4 The CARO should provide you with a copy of any updated notice, which you should then publish in your area.

Candidates, or their election agent, can appoint agents to observe the opening of postal votes.1

At stand-alone local government elections, only the candidate can appoint the polling and counting agents.2

You are responsible for receiving the notifications of appointment of these agents.3  

You will find more details on these agents in the guidance that follows. 

You are required to ensure that all appointed agents are given a copy of the following relevant secrecy requirements for opening of postal votes, the poll and the count.4  

For more details on revoking agent appointments and appointing new agents see our guidance on Revoking the appointment of an election agent. 

Postal voting agents are permitted by law to observe the opening of the postal voters’ ballot box, the opening of returned postal votes and the checking of signatures and dates of birth provided on returned postal voting statements.1   

You must give candidates at least 48 hours’ notice of the time and place of any postal vote opening session and the number of agents a candidate may appoint to attend each opening.2  

You must be given written notice of the name and address of any postal voting agents before the start of any particular session that the agents are seeking to attend.3 The Commission has developed the following form for the notification of appointment of postal voting agents.

Secrecy and conduct requirements

Ballot papers will be kept face down throughout a postal vote opening session. 

You should supply all postal voting agents with the following requirements of secrecy for the opening of postal votes. 

The key points are that: 

• anyone attending an opening session must not attempt to see how individual ballot papers have been marked. It follows therefore that keeping a tally of how ballot papers have been marked is not allowed. 
• anyone attending a postal vote opening must not attempt to look at identifying marks or numbers on ballot papers, disclose how any particular ballot paper has been marked or pass on any such information gained from the session.

anyone found guilty of breaching these requirements can face an unlimited fine, or may be imprisoned for up to six months.

Polling agents are entitled by law to access polling stations for the purpose of detecting personation.1 They can also observe the procedures to be followed inside a polling station. 

You must be notified in writing of any polling agents that have been appointed by not later than five working days before the poll for their appointment to be in force for the poll.2 The Commission has developed the following form for the notification of appointment of polling agents. 

A polling agent can be appointed to a particular polling station or stations, or to all polling stations within the relevant electoral area. The same polling agents may be appointed to attend more than one polling station. 

Limiting the number of agents in attendance

The total number that may attend at any particular polling station is four or such greater number that you decide to allow.3 The limit applies to each individual polling station, even where there are multiple polling stations in the same building or room. 

If you decide to allow more than four polling agents to attend a polling station, you must give notice of that higher number.4 This notice should be published on your website and a copy provided to the candidates and their election agents. You can decide to fix different maximum numbers for different polling stations and, if you decide to do so, you should make this clear on the notice you publish.  

If all the candidates together appoint more than the maximum number of polling agents who can attend any polling station you must decide which polling agents may attend by drawing lots for each polling station.5 Those who are not selected by the lot are not appointed as polling agents for that particular polling station.6   

Only one polling agent for each candidate may be admitted to a polling station at any particular time.7

Secrecy and conduct requirements

Anyone attending a polling station has a duty to maintain the secrecy of the ballot. All Polling Agents should be supplied with the following requirements of secrecy for the poll.

In particular, the following information must not be disclosed:

• the name or electoral number of who has or has not voted 
• the number or other unique identifying mark on the ballot paper 

Anyone attending a polling station must also not try to ascertain how a voter has voted or who they are about to vote for. 

A polling agent can mark off on their copy of the register of electors those voters who have applied for ballot papers. If the polling agent leaves the polling station during the hours of polling, they will need to leave the marked copy of the register in the polling station to ensure that secrecy requirements are not breached. Any person found guilty of breaching the secrecy requirements can face an unlimited fine, or may be imprisoned for up to six months.

Polling agents’ seals cannot be attached to ballot boxes at the start of or during the poll. 

While a polling agent can observe the poll, they do not have to be present in a polling station for polling and related procedures to take place. 

Counting agents can be appointed to observe the verification and counting processes.1 You must give counting agents who have been appointed notice in writing of the time and place at which the verification and count will begin.2  

You must be notified in writing of the appointment of counting agents by not later than five working days before the poll for their appointment to be in force for the verification and count.3 The Commission has developed the following form for the notification of appointment of counting agents. 

Limiting the number of agents in attendance

You are permitted by law to limit the number of counting agents appointed.5 The number that may be appointed by each candidate must be the same and, unless there are special circumstances, must not be less than the number obtained by dividing the number of counting assistants (i.e. those staff counting the ballot papers) by the number of candidates.6   

When determining the maximum number of counting agents, each candidate should, as far as possible, be permitted to appoint sufficient numbers of counting agents to enable full and proper scrutiny of the verification and count processes. You should, however, consider any health and safety implications, including fire regulations for the verification and count venue, when deciding on maximum numbers of counting agents. 

For more details on who may attend the verification and count see Attendance at the verification and count. 

Secrecy and conduct requirements

Anyone attending the count has a duty to maintain the secrecy of the count. All Counting Agents should be supplied with the following requirements of secrecy for the count.

In particular, anyone attending must not: 

• ascertain or attempt to ascertain number or other unique identifying mark on the back of any ballot paper 
• communicate any information obtained at the count as to the candidate for whom any vote is given on any particular ballot paper

You must issue postal votes to electors as soon as is practicable.1  In practice, this means at any time after the details to be printed on the ballot papers have been confirmed, i.e. after the deadline for withdrawals, which is 4pm on the last day for the delivery of nomination papers.

The early dispatch of postal votes will maximise the time available for electors – especially service voters and those who have requested that their postal pack is sent to an overseas address – to receive, complete and return their postal votes. You can find more information in our guidance: Issuing and distributing postal votes

You may only issue a postal vote to someone who has been added to the electoral register and has made a successful application for a postal vote. The ERO is required to publish two interim election notices of alteration before publishing the final election notice of alteration, 5  working days before the poll.2 This supports the dispatch of postal votes at an early stage in the timetable to those electors who have applied to register and applied for a postal vote close to the registration deadline. More information is available in our guidance for EROs: election notices of alteration

If you are not also the ERO, you should liaise with them to obtain the postal voters’ list and the postal proxy voters’ list as soon as possible after the publication of the first interim election notice of alteration to include these electors in the initial dispatch of postal votes. This notice must be published on the same day as the deadline for the delivery of nomination papers.3

You will also need to liaise with the ERO to obtain any subsequent updates once the second interim election notice of alteration and the final election notice of alteration have been published.

You can find further information on interim notices of alteration in our guidance for EROs.

Our template election timetables for local government elections in England also include the relevant publication dates for these notices.

Deadlines for absent vote applications and requests for changes to existing arrangements

The deadline for electors to submit new postal and postal proxy applications is 5pm, 11 working days before polling day. This is also the deadline:

• to cancel existing postal votes 
• for electors to make changes (i.e. amending the delivery address) to any existing absent vote (i.e. postal, proxy and postal proxy) arrangements 

If, however, an elector is an existing postal voter and has already returned their postal ballot paper, they cannot make changes after that time, even if this is before 5pm, 11 working days before polling day.4

The deadline for new proxy applications (not postal proxy), excluding emergency proxy applications, is 5pm, 6 working days before polling day.5

The deadline for emergency proxy applications is 5pm on polling day.6  You can find more information in our guidance: voting by emergency proxy.

This table summarises the deadlines for easy reference:
 

The ERO will provide you with the final lists of absent voters, i.e. the list of postal voters, the list of postal proxy voters and the list of proxies, after the deadline for applications has passed.

Delays to determination

An absent vote cannot be granted until both the registration and absent vote applications have been positively determined. 

Where a completed registration application is made by the deadline but the applicant's identity cannot be verified against DWP records or through local data matching, the ERO has until the determination deadline for applications, which is 6 working days before the poll to receive the required evidence from the applicant under the exceptions process and make a determination. 

However, If an elector applying for a postal vote close to the deadline for a poll fails the DWP check, their application can be determined using the exceptions or attestation process up to and including polling day. There is no deadline in law for postal vote determination. 

Whilst the processing of applications is the responsibility of the ERO, the RO is responsible for the issuing of postal ballot packs and producing polling station registers. You should liaise with the ERO (where you are not also the ERO) to establish the latest practicable point for determination of postal vote applications for each poll to ensure that it enables you and the ERO to conduct your duties effectively.

As part of this you and the ERO should consider:

• the importance of supporting electors to be able to vote in the way they have chosen, and providing a consistent service to all electors
• the time it takes to issue postal ballots in time to be received and returned
• the provisions and timetable for reissuing postal ballots
• the need to produce complete and accurate polling station registers in advance of polling day

Whilst the decision on what will be practicable will be a matter for you and the relevant ERO, we recommend that any determination deadline you set should be no earlier than 5pm, 6 working days before the poll. This recommendation is guidance only, it is not mandatory, however it would enable the ERO to meet their obligation to make the absent voter lists available for inspection and to send them to you (where you are not also the ERO), as soon as is practicable .

The postal vote will then need to be dispatched, and the voter will need to receive, complete and return their postal vote by 10pm on polling day.

 

The deadline for making changes to existing absent vote arrangements, or cancelling an existing postal vote, is 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.

A person who is sent their postal vote early in the election timetable may receive it before this date, but subsequently decide they no longer wish to vote by post. They are still able to make changes to their absent voting arrangements to take effect at the election as long as their request is received by the deadline and they have not yet returned their postal ballot paper. You will need to have a system in place that will allow you to promptly identify if a postal ballot paper has already been returned.

An elector who has already returned their completed postal ballot paper can still make a request to make changes to their  absent voting arrangements but these changes will not take place until any future poll.

The exception to this is where the ballot paper has been returned as spoilt or lost before the deadline for changes has passed. 

If the ballot paper has been returned as spoilt or lost before the deadline for changes has passed, then the elector may still make changes to the absent vote arrangements for the poll at which the ballot paper was issued. 

This is also the case for an elector voting by proxy, where their proxy has a postal vote and has already voted on behalf of the elector by returning their completed postal vote.

It is the return of any postal ballot paper that is relevant in determining whether or not an elector can make changes to their postal voting arrangements to take effect at the elections. 

The ERO will administer the changes to any absent vote arrangements, and they must notify you in time to take effect at the election, whenever they have granted:1

• a postal vote cancellation
• a change from postal to proxy
• a change from proxy to postal
• an application for a postal ballot paper to be sent to a different address
• a cancellation of a proxy appointment

You should let the ERO know when postal ballot papers are dispatched and the final deadline for cancellations and changes, and liaise with them to decide how any requests for changes to absent vote arrangements and information on returned postal ballot papers will be exchanged, so that:

• the ERO can check if a postal ballot paper has been returned
• the ERO knows whether or not they can allow a request for changes or a cancellation to take effect in time for the election
• you can cancel the postal ballot paper if the request has been allowed.

You will need to retrieve any ballot papers that have been received before the absent vote deadline and subsequently cancelled by the elector. You can find more information in our guidance on the retrieval of cancelled postal votes. 

Proxy vote applications require verification of identity. Where identity cannot be verified against DWP records, the ERO has up to and including polling day to receive the required evidence or necessary attestation from the applicant and make a determination. 

Information about applications to appoint a proxy made by an applicant for a person to vote on their behalf1  that are made by 5pm, six working days before polling day will be provided to you by the ERO once those applications have had been through identity verification and been determined. You must supply Presiding Officers with the relevant parts of this list of proxies.2

You may need to make an alteration to the printed register if a proxy has applied to vote by post and the application is determined close to the poll. Our guidance on Polling station registers and absent voting lists has more information on alterations that may be made to the register after they have been printed. The polling station register must be marked with an ‘A’ against the name of the elector, as any elector who has appointed a proxy and their proxy has applied to vote by post can no longer vote in the polling station.3 A separate list will contain the details of postal proxies.

Restrictions on proxy voting

A person cannot have more than one appointed proxy for local government elections in the same electoral area at any time.4

A person is not entitled to vote as proxy at the same local government elections on behalf of more than four electors. Within the four electors, no more than two electors can be domestic electors. Domestic electors are those electors who are not registered via a service declaration.5

It is an offence:

• for a person to knowingly appoint a proxy who is already acting as a proxy for two or more domestic electors6
• for a person who is registered as a service voter to knowingly appoint a proxy who is already acting as a proxy for four or more electors (of which no more than two electors can be domestic electors )7
• to vote as proxy for more than two domestic electors8   
• to vote as proxy for more than four electors (of which no more than two electors can be domestic electors)9

An elector may find that they are unable to go to the polling station after the deadline for arranging an ordinary proxy has passed. An elector may appoint an emergency proxy to vote on their behalf at the polling station in certain circumstances:1

• in the case of a disability (whether a medical condition, illness or otherwise) arising after the deadline for ordinary proxy applications (i.e. after 5pm on the sixth working day before the poll)
• if they are a mental health patient detained under civil powers (i.e., who are not also detained offenders)
• if their occupation, service or employment means they cannot go to the polling station in person, provided that they only become aware of this fact after the deadline for ordinary proxy applications (i.e. 5pm on the sixth working day before the poll)
• if they meet any of the conditions relating to emergency proxies on the grounds of voter identification after the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector’s Document (i.e. 5pm on the sixth working day before the poll). Further information can be found in our guidance on emergency proxies relating to voter identification

Electors can apply for an emergency proxy after the deadline for normal proxy applications has passed (i.e. after 5pm on the sixth working day before the poll) up until 5pm on polling day. If you are not also the ERO, you should agree a method with them for communicating any additions to the list of proxies that result from the granting of emergency proxy applications.

Whenever an emergency proxy has been appointed, you should inform the appropriate polling station staff as soon as possible after the proxy has been appointed, and by any means available to you.

Someone appointed as an emergency proxy will be required to produce photographic ID at the polling station to prove their identity before they can be issued with a ballot paper. Wherever possible, the ERO should provide the proxy of any voter whose application has been accepted with a letter authorising them to act as a proxy, which should include details of the person on whose behalf they are voting. The ERO should advise the proxy to take that authorisation with them when they go to vote and to hand it to polling station staff. If such a letter is provided at the polling station, polling station staff should mark it to show that the proxy has been issued with a ballot paper and the marked letter should then be retained with the list of proxies.

The ERO should also, where possible, provide a supplementary list of proxies which can be issued to the relevant polling station and added to the list originally supplied.

The agreed method for communicating additions to the list of proxies on polling day should be covered at the training session for polling station staff. Further information on training polling station staff can be found in our guidance on staffing and training.

You could ask polling station inspectors to liaise with the electoral registration office regarding emergency proxy applications granted on polling day and should advise them of the procedures to be followed. You can find more information in our guidance on emergency proxies. 

New proxy vote applications must be received by the deadline for the relevant upcoming poll, however the verification of identity may be determined up to and including polling day.

There is no legislative deadline provided for the determination of proxy vote applications. You should liaise with the ERO (where you are not also the ERO) to:

• coordinate the determination of applications and subsequent updates to polling station registers and absent voting lists
• monitor the volume of applications that are not matched with DWP on the ERO Portal in the run up to the proxy vote application deadline
• agree messaging for your communications activity with electors who apply for a proxy vote close to the deadline for a poll

For those electors whose proxy vote applications are determined during the week leading up to polling day you will need to identify how you will:   

• manage the communications with the elector and the proxy appointed 
• alter and print the list of proxies for the appropriate polling station as soon as possible after the proxy has been appointed and, if the proxy application is determined on polling day, how you will communicate this to the appropriate polling station staff by any means available to you.
• ensure that there is time for a proxy voter to be informed that they have been appointed and go to the polling station and vote by 10pm on polling day

Managing communications with electors who apply for a proxy vote close to a deadline

You should ensure that you and the ERO (if you are not also the ERO) agree the messaging in any communications with electors who apply close to the deadline. Given that the processing of proxy vote applications may take longer because of the requirement to verify their identity, specific messaging may be needed for electors who apply close to the deadline.   

Managing proxy vote applications that will not be determined by polling day

You should ensure that you contact any applicants whose proxy vote application is not going to be determined before polling day. 

You can use email or telephone to contact applicants if you hold those contact details. You should ensure that they know:

• that their proxy vote application will not be processed in time for polling day 
• what their options for voting on polling day are – i.e. polling station only or emergency proxy
• where appropriate, that their application will be processed for future polls

Managing the communicating of any additions to the list of proxies where applications are determined up to and including polling day   

You should agree with the ERO (if you are not also the ERO) a method for communicating any additions to the list of proxies that result from the determination of proxy vote applications up to and including polling day. 

If the proxy lists have already been printed, the ERO (if you are not also the ERO) should, where possible, provide a supplementary list of proxies which can be issued to the relevant polling station and added to the list originally supplied.

If a proxy application is determined by the ERO on polling day, you should also inform the appropriate polling station staff as soon as possible after the proxy has been appointed, by any means available to you.

While a person appointed as a proxy will be required to produce photographic ID   at the polling station to prove their identity before they can be issued with a ballot paper, they are not required to prove that they have been appointed as a proxy. However,   wherever possible, the ERO should provide the proxy of any voter whose application has been accepted with a letter authorising them to act as a proxy, which should include details of the person on whose behalf they are voting. The ERO should advise the proxy to take that authorisation with them  and to hand it to polling station staff. If such a letter is provided at the polling station, polling station staff should mark it to show that the proxy has been issued with a ballot paper and the marked letter should then be retained with the list of proxies.

The agreed method for communicating additions to the list of proxies on polling day should be covered at the training session for polling station staff. Further information on training polling station staff can be found in our guidance on staffing and training.

You could ask polling station inspectors to liaise with the electoral registration office regarding proxy applications granted on polling day and should advise them of the procedures to be followed.  

Who must be sent a postal vote?

You must send a postal vote to:

• any elector who appears on the postal voters’ list for the election 
• any proxy who appears on the postal proxy voters’ list for the election

Timing of the issuing of postal votes

Postal votes must be issued as soon as practicable.1

You should put arrangements in place to ensure that electors receive their postal ballot papers as soon as possible and prioritise any postal votes that may need to be sent overseas in order to maximise the time that postal voters have to receive, complete and return their postal vote.

Existing electors with existing postal voting arrangements 

Once the deadline for the withdrawal of candidates has passed, postal ballot papers should be issued to existing electors who have already successfully applied for a postal vote.

Existing electors who make new postal applications

You should liaise with the ERO (where you are not already the ERO) to ensure you obtain the information on any electors who later apply for a postal vote by the relevant absent vote deadline. Where the applicant has applied for an absent vote by the relevant absent vote deadline, the absent vote application requires verification of identity and where identity cannot be verified against DWP records, the ERO has up to and including polling day to receive the required evidence or necessary attestation from the applicant and make a determination. As an absent vote cannot be granted until the absent vote application has been positively determined so you should also liaise with the ERO (where you are not already the ERO) to plan how you will coordinate the determination and subsequent issuing of the postal packs for a poll.

New electors who made postal vote applications alongside their registration application

Both the registration and absent vote application requires verification of identity and an absent vote cannot be granted until both the registration and absent vote applications have been positively determined. The ERO must publish two interim election notices of alteration  before publishing the final election notice of alteration on the fifth working day before the poll.2  You should also liaise with the ERO (where you are not already the ERO) to plan how you will coordinate the determination and subsequent issuing of the postal packs for a poll.

You can find further information on interim notices of alteration in our guidance for EROs.

You should liaise closely with the ERO (where you are not also the ERO) to: 

• plan how you will coordinate the determination of applications and subsequent issuing of postal packs
• monitor the volume of applications that are not matched with DWP on the ERO Portal in the run up to the postal vote application deadline
• agree messaging to explain that until evidence to verify an applicant’s identity is received, their postal vote pack cannot be produced which could mean they may not be able to receive, complete and return their postal vote by polling day
• agree that, if before the deadline for appointing a proxy, the elector will be contacted to explain that a proxy vote may be an alternative option but the applicant’s identity will still need to be verified.    

You will also need to consider any particular arrangements you need to put in place to: 

• manage the production of additional postal ballot packs close to polling day
• manage the delivery or collection of additional postal votes close to polling day
• support electors in returning their completed postal votes by 10pm on polling day 

You should have regular check- ins with your ERO to track the volume of applications in the run up to the postal vote application deadline that fail the DWP match, so that you are prepared for potential numbers of postal ballot packs to be produced at short notice – whether that is happening in house or outsourced. 

If production of postal voting stationery and the issuing of postal votes will be carried out in-house ensure that you order sufficient blank postal packs to enable the issue of packs at short notice in the run up to polling day. 

If production of postal voting stationery is outsourced, you will need to be satisfied that the production of the postal voting stationery including the quality assurance of the process as well as the issue, will be carried out in a timeframe that will allow for a postal voter to receive, complete and return their postal vote before the close of poll. If you are not satisfied that this can be done, you should consider the practicability of producing postal ballot packs in house.   

Our guidance on Subsequent issues of postal ballot packs has more information.   

Given that the processing of postal vote applications and issuing of postal ballot packs may take longer because of the requirement to verify the elector’s identity, specific messaging to electors who apply close to the deadline may be needed to explain that they may not receive their postal vote in time for the election. If before the proxy application deadline, this could include messaging to support electors to consider whether a temporary proxy vote may be more suitable for their circumstances where there is a risk that they may not receive their postal vote in time to complete it, for example, if they are going away on holiday. 

The processes to be followed when issuing postal ballot packs are provided for in legislation.1

Corresponding number list 

You must produce a corresponding number list at postal vote issuing sessions. The corresponding number list is prescribed and must contain the ballot paper number and unique identifying mark of all ballot papers to be issued to that elector.2

When the ballot paper is issued, the elector number must be marked on the corresponding number list beside the ballot paper number and unique identifying mark.3

New lists and associated packets are required at every issue. The list could be printed single-sided and cut at the point where the last ballot paper was issued at any particular issue of postal ballot packs. The remaining corresponding number list can then be used at any further issuing sessions and for the issue of replacement postal ballot papers.

The corresponding number list relating to the ballot papers that have been issued must be sealed in a packet as soon as practicable after each issue of postal ballot packs, this can only be opened and inspected by the order of a court.4

The postal ballot pack

The number of the postal ballot paper(s) must be included on the postal voting statement to be sent with the ballot paper(s).5

The address to which the postal ballot pack should be sent is the address shown in the relevant postal voters’ list. In the case of a postal proxy, this is the address shown in the postal proxy voters’ list. In the case of an anonymous elector, the address can be found in the records of granted applications.

Our guidance on the production of postal voting stationery contains information on the content required for the postal ballot pack.

Marking of the polling station registers

To indicate that an elector is entitled to vote by post and must not be given an ordinary ballot paper at a polling station, the polling station register must be marked with an ‘A’ using the information contained in the postal voters’ list and the postal proxy voters’ list. You should liaise with the ERO (where you are not also the ERO) to establish the latest practicable point for determination of applications, the process for both updating polling station registers and absent voting lists and communicating updates to polling station staff. 

A mark must be placed in the postal voters’ list (or the postal proxy voters’ list as the case may be) to show that a postal ballot pack has been issued.

You should maintain a clear audit trail of the issue of postal ballot packs. As part of this, you should ensure that the number of postal votes issued is accurately recorded at the end of each issuing session and when issuing replacement postal ballot packs. These numbers will be required for the completion of the statement as to postal ballot papers.

This table summarises the issuing process:
 

Who can attend the postal vote issuing process?

In addition to you and your staff, Commission representatives and accredited observers are entitled to attend the issuing process.6

If you have outsourced the postal vote issuing process, you should ensure that these people are able to access the premises of the company conducting the issue.

Anyone attending a postal vote issue session, including your staff, must be provided with a copy of the relevant secrecy provisions.7

If you decide to deliver postal votes by hand, you should plan for how this will work in practice. You should appoint sufficient staff to ensure that postal ballot packs are received by postal voters as soon as possible to maximise the time postal voters have to receive, complete and return their postal vote.

You should ensure that staff are aware of data protection considerations, and should consider requiring staff to confirm in writing at the point of recruitment, that they will abide by your data protection policy.

You should also have in place a mechanism for monitoring the delivery of postal ballot packs, with a view to ensuring that they have been delivered across the whole of the electoral area and to agreed timeframes. This may include requiring delivery staff to fill in log sheets, having supervisors carry out spot-checks, and monitoring any unusually low returns of completed postal ballots by polling districts.

Planning for ad-hoc deliveries by hand

There may be circumstances where you will need to issue postal ballot packs by hand, even where the majority of your packs have been delivered by post, for example when replacing lost or spoilt postal ballot packs, or when issuing postal ballot packs for applications that have been determined close to or on polling day. 

You should plan for how this will work in practice, including how you will ensure that these postal ballot packs can be printed and delivered at short notice. More information on managing the delivery of additional postal ballot packs close to the poll can be found in our guidance on the timing of issuing of postal votes. 

 

You may choose to manage the supply of your postal vote packs to a delivery partner directly or have this managed by your print supplier. You may use Royal Mail or any other commercial delivery firm for the delivery of postal votes. You can find more information in our guidance: Working with mail delivery partners.

Options for delivery

If you are using Royal Mail to deliver your postal votes, you should put in place arrangements for the relevant licenses and Business Reply numbers as soon as possible and confirm that your proposed stationery meets their specifications in order to avoid any potential delays at the time when your postal ballot packs are due to be distributed to electors. If you are using a commercial delivery firm, you should make similar arrangements as appropriate.

Your contingency planning should address how you would issue and receive any returned postal ballot packs in the event that Royal Mail or the commercial delivery firm you have contracted are unable to deliver the postal ballot packs, for example, due to industrial action.

If you are using Royal Mail to deliver your postal votes, you should ensure that you have an up-to-date copy of Royal Mail’s best practice guidance on postal voting, Managing Postal Voting.

Quality assuring the despatch process

You should make arrangements for the secure transfer of the postal ballot packs from your printer to Royal Mail or your chosen delivery firm. You should ensure that a clear procedure and audit trail is in place for transferring postal ballot packs.

You must count the total number of outgoing envelopes and arrange delivery of the envelopes to your delivery contractor along with a receipt showing the total number of postal ballot packs in that batch.1 This receipt should be endorsed by Royal Mail or your delivery firm to acknowledge that they have received the batch prior to despatch.

If your printing supplier is despatching materials to electors on your behalf, it is important that you continue to liaise with them once final sign-off of all printed and filled material is completed and it is ready for despatch.

You should ensure that you get confirmation from your print supplier once despatch has begun, confirmation of how many packs have been or will be despatched per day and an update on how long it will take for the despatch to be completed.

You should ask your print supplier for a copy of the postal dockets for each despatch for adding to your formal audit trail of the process. These dockets should detail the number of items despatched per day, and confirm the postal services used. Photos/scanned images of the dockets will suffice for these purposes. 

If you have agreed with your print supplier that down stream access (DSA) providers will be used as part of the despatch and delivery process, you should get updates from your delivery contractor on the progress of the delivery throughout.

You should have in place a mechanism for monitoring the delivery of postal ballot packs, with a view to ensuring that they have been delivered across the whole of the electoral area and to agreed timeframes.
 
All of the measures above will help to identify possible issues that may have arisen with regards to despatch, feed into any subsequent evaluation of contractor performance, and enable you to provide information to voters on dates that they should expect to receive material through your social media channels and call centres as appropriate.

Quality assurance measures for monitoring delivery

If possible, you should have arrangements in place to track deliveries in order to assist with responding to any enquiries from electors regarding the delivery of their postal ballot pack. You should also ensure you monitor the level of queries from electors being received through all channels as this will help to highlight any issues being experienced with the delivery of materials in practice.

You should monitor any unusually low returns of completed postal ballots by polling districts, as that may be an indication of delivery issues.

You should also ensure that you have clear methods of communication to enable any issues or queries to be addressed quickly. You can find more information on quality assurance in our guidance on managing contractors.

As postal ballot packs must be issued as soon as practicable to electors, there may be circumstances where a person you have already sent a postal ballot paper to subsequently applies to the ERO to cancel their postal vote, or make any changes to their absent voting arrangements, within time for the changes to be able to take effect at the election(s).

However, a postal ballot paper that has already been returned to the RO cannot be cancelled.1  Our ERO guidance contains further information on changing or cancelling postal votes at an election.

If you are not also the ERO, you need to arrange how you will liaise with them, so that any changes to absent voting arrangements can be communicated to you in a timely manner and you know which ballot papers need to be cancelled.

Upon notification you must immediately cancel any postal ballot paper that has been issued to such an elector or postal proxy, and add the details of the cancelled ballot paper to the list kept for that purpose (see our guidance on record keeping for cancelled postal votes).2

You should consider how to manage the process of removal of those packs from any postal vote batches not yet despatched from your printer.

Where the change to the absent voting arrangements relates only to the address to which the ballot paper should be sent, you must, in addition to cancelling the original postal ballot paper issue a replacement postal ballot pack to the new address.3

You must also cancel any lost or spoilt postal ballot papers you have had to replace (see our guidance on re-issuing spoilt postal votes and lost/not received postal votes).4

You need to maintain an audit trail of all the cancellations, including how your software system can be used to log all cancellations to enable you to produce the required list of cancelled postal ballot papers (see our guidance on record keeping for cancelled ballot papers) and identify any postal ballot papers that have been cancelled but have been returned and so need to be retrieved.