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.

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 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 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 police single point of contact (SPOC). The plans should include:

• how you will work with the local police and the SPOC, 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
• 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 SPOC
  • 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 to determine if any specific measures are required for any polling stations and/or at the count venue, based on risks identified locally. 

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 behavior 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 and communicate this 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.

For more information see our guidance on planning for postal vote opening, polling station voting and planning for the verification and count. 

Every UK police force has a named single point of contact (SPOC) officer for election-related crime. 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.

In addition, 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.

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

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.

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.

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