Guidance for the GLRO administering the GLA elections

The form and content of each ballot paper is prescribed in the relevant election rules and you must follow this precisely.1 Ballot papers for each election for postal voters and for polling station use must be the same in form, except that the official mark may be different if desired.2   

Although the final content of the ballot papers cannot be confirmed until nominations have closed, in addition to confirming the colours, you will need to make decisions about the following elements of the ballot papers at an early stage:

• ballot paper numbers
• unique identifying mark 
• the ‘official mark’

You may use a different official mark for different purposes at each election. That means that you could choose one official mark for all ballot papers, or you could choose to have different official marks, e.g. for polling station ballot papers and ballot papers issued to postal voters.

You are also required to provide CROs with the enlarged sample copy of a ballot paper so that it can be displayed at every polling station.3 The colour of the enlarged sample ballot paper must be the same colour as the actual ballot paper for the relevant election.4  

Secure transfer of information

You will need to ensure your plans outline the processes and safeguards you will have in place regarding the transfer and security of the data between yourself and the CROs. 

You will need to ensure there is an agreement in place between you and each CRO for the secure data transfer and destruction of data. Our data protection guidance contains more detailed advice on storing personal data securely and maintaining your document retention policy, including what it should contain. 

Although data protection legislation does not require a written agreement when sharing data between data controllers, it is strongly recommended that you agree a data sharing protocol with the CROs. 

You can find more information on managing contractors and suppliers in our GLA RO guidance for GLA elections.

If you intend to send data to a contractor to produce ballot papers for the election, you are using a data processor. 

As a data controller, data protection legislation imposes a legal obligation when using a processor to formalise the working relationship in a contract which sets out:   

• the subject matter, nature and purpose of the processing;
• the obligations and rights of the data controller;
• duration of the processing; and
• the types of personal data and categories of data subjects.

In addition, the contract must set out specific obligations on the processor, including that they:

• comply with your instructions
• are subject to a duty of confidentiality
• keep personal data secure and notify you of any breach
• maintain written records of the processing activities they carry out for you
• only use a sub-processor with your consent
• submit to audits and inspections and provide you with whatever information you need to ensure compliance with data protection requirements
• delete or return all personal data to you as requested at the end of the contract

You can find more information on your legal obligations when using a data processor in our data protection guidance.

Printing of ballot papers

The ballot papers must be printed in accordance with the directions for printing in the schedule of forms in the relevant election rules.5 You should ensure that you check with your print supplier at an early stage to establish the maximum size of ballot papers that they can print and if necessary, have contingency arrangements in place in the event that a larger ballot paper is required.  

Managing multiple contests

The preparation of ballot papers for multiple contests requires that particular care should be taken to ensure the correct information appears on the ballot paper in line with that provided in the statements of persons or parties nominated. 

This includes checking names, address or relevant area information, parties or any descriptions. You should refer to our guidance on quality assurance and proof checking of election materials for more information on managing this process.