Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Police and Crime Commissioner elections

You may appoint agents to attend postal vote openings. 

Anyone, apart from the following people listed below, can be appointed as a postal vote agent:

• the PARO, a Local Returning Officer (LRO) or a member of their staff (including any clerks appointed specifically for the election)1
• a deputy or clerk of the PARO, LRO or a member of their staff1
• an officer of a local authority whose services have been placed at the disposal of the PARO or LRO1
• a partner or clerk of any of the above1
• anyone not entitled to vote at the election as a result of the report of an election court or a conviction for a corrupt or illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 19831
• anyone convicted or reported of a corrupt or illegal practice under the 2012 Order1
   

You and your election agent can also automatically act as one of those agents without the need of an official appointment. Sub-agents are entitled to attend the opening of postal votes in their own right.

Each LRO will tell you the maximum number of postal voting agents you can appoint. All candidates will be allowed to appoint exactly the same number.1   

The request to appoint postal voting agents must be made in writing to the relevant LRO by you or your agent. 

The request must contain the names and addresses of the people being appointed.1 A separate appointment must be made for each local count, even if all local counts are held in a central location.  The LRO will provide forms you can use for this, or you can use the Commission’s postal voting agent appointment form.

Appointment forms for postal voting agents need to be submitted to the relevant LRO by the time fixed for the opening of postal votes they want to attend.1

The LRO will give you at least 48 hours’ notice before the scheduled start of each postal vote opening session.1

If an agent dies or becomes incapable of acting, you may appoint another agent in their place by submitting the relevant appointment form to the relevant LRO. Any new appointment in these circumstances must be made without delay.1  

More information on what agents can and cannot do and what they can expect to see at postal vote opening sessions, can be found our guidance ‘ what does a postal voting agent do’ and ‘the stages of the postal vote opening process’.