Guidance for the GLRO administering the GLA elections

| Print full guidance

Role and responsibility of Constituency Returning Officers and Electoral registration officers

The CRO, who is designated by an Order made by the Secretary of State, is responsible for:

  • all aspects of the administration of the election of Constituency Members to the London Assembly 
  • those elements of the Mayor of London and London-wide Assembly Member contests that fall within their constituency area, including the conduct of the poll and the counting of votes

Returning Officers for the other boroughs in a constituency, known as Borough Returning Officers (BROs) do not have a statutory function. 

Nevertheless, in practice, the CRO will work closely with BROs on operational issues, such as:

  • the identification and booking of polling stations
  • the appointment of staff 
  • sending out and opening of postal votes

The CRO is personally responsible for: 

  • the publication of the notice of election for the Constituency Assembly Member election1  
  • the nomination process for the Constituency Assembly Member election2  
  • the publication of the statement of persons nominated and the notice of poll for the Constituency Assembly Member election3  
  • provision and equipment of polling stations4
  • appointment of polling station staff5
  • organising the poll for all three contests6  
  • the postal vote process for all three contests 7
  • the verification and counting of the votes for the Constituency Assembly Member election and for that part of the Mayor of London contest and London-wide Assembly Member contest that falls within the constituency8  
  • the declaration of the constituency results9  
  • the transmission of the results of the three contests to the GLRO10  

CROs must also consider the accessibility for voters at polling stations. Our guidance on assistance with voting for disabled people  provides further information.

Electoral Registration Officer

The Electoral Registration Officer is responsible for maintaining the register of electors and absent voters’ lists for their local authority area. 

In London, the Electoral Registration Officer is normally a senior officer in the local authority and may also be the Returning Officer for that borough.

Last updated: 10 November 2023