Who does what at a UK Parliamentary general election and how to contact them
The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland
The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is David Marshall. He is the Returning Officer for all elections in Northern Ireland and the Electoral Registration Officer for the whole of Northern Ireland.
The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland
The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is the collective name for the staff who assist the Chief Electoral Officer in the delivery of his statutory duties.
The Electoral Commission’s role
We are an independent statutory body established in November 2000 by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The Commission is headed by ten Commissioners, including a Chair, and reports directly to the UK Parliament through a committee chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons.
We are responsible for registering political parties and non-party campaigners, the monitoring and publication of significant donations to registered political parties and the regulation of party and non-party campaigner spending at certain elections. We also have a role in promoting voter awareness. We are required to report on the administration of certain electoral events, to keep electoral matters under review and, if requested, must review and report on any electoral matter.
We also accredit observers to be present at election proceedings. We do not run elections but have responsibility for providing advice and assistance on electoral matters to all those involved in elections, including (Acting) Returning Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, political parties and candidates.