Guidance for Petition Officers

At the end of the counting of signatures, you must seal up the packets of counted and rejected signing sheets.1   

In England and Wales, these will be included in the range of documents which you must forward to the relevant ERO(s) to retain for one year.2  In Scotland, the PO must retain these documents for one year.3 After one year, the documents must be securely destroyed.

From the signing places:4  

• the packet containing: 
  • the tendered signing lists
  • the list of persons with disabilities assisted by the petition clerk
  • the list of alterations to the register 
• marked copies of the register of electors, the marked list of proxies and any marked copy notices issued as a result of the correction of a clerical error or a decision on an appeal to the relevant court
• the packets containing the completed corresponding number lists
• the packets containing the signing sheet refusal lists
• the packets containing certificates of employment on duty issued during the signing period

From the postal signing issues and openings:5  

• marked copies of the postal signers’ list and proxy postal signers’ list
• the packets containing the completed corresponding number lists
• the packets of postal signing statements accepted as valid
• the packets of rejected postal signing sheets 
• the packets of rejected postal signing sheet envelopes
• the lists of cancelled, lost and spoilt postal signing sheets
• the packet of spoilt postal signing sheets and accompanying documents
• the packet of lost postal signing sheets containing any part of the postal pack that was not lost and which was returned to you before you issued a replacement 
• the packet of postal signing sheets, statements and envelopes that have been cancelled
• the packets of unused postal signing sheets 
• unopened postal ballot packs received after the end of the signing period or returned as undelivered (these can be forwarded at a subsequent date) 

In England and Wales, you must also forward to the ERO(s) in your area, and in Scotland, you should also forward to the relevant ERO(s) in your area (to support their statutory duties): 

• the statement as to postal signing sheets, 
• the relevant parts of the list of postal signing statements that have failed the identifier checks

You should also forward at the same time your record of any instances where you suspect an offence may have been committed, so that the ERO(s) know in which cases they should not send out a signing sheet statement identifier rejection notice.

From the count:6

• all signing sheets separately stored as:
  • counted signing sheets
  • rejected signing sheets 
  • unused signing sheets (both ordinary and tendered) and spoilt signing sheets (placed together) 
  • used tendered signing sheets 
• daily signing sheet accounts, the final signing sheet accounts, the result of the verification of the signing sheet accounts, and the statement of rejected signing sheets

Marked register and absent signers lists – inspection and supply

The Police, the National Crime Agency, any body of constables established under an Act of Parliament and the Electoral Commission are the only organisations entitled to copies of the marked register and lists.7 The usual fees apply.8

Any person can ask to inspect the marked register or lists, if they allege suspected fraud.9  

The request must be made in writing to the ERO in England and Wales or the PO in Scotland and must contain any details of any suspected fraud that they believe have taken place. The ERO in England and Wales or the PO in Scotland is only required to make the documents available if they are satisfied that fraud may have taken place.10

Other documents - inspection and supply

Other documents relating to the petition are available for public inspection under certain conditions. This does not include signing sheets, completed corresponding number lists, certificates of employment and the lists of rejected postal signing sheets.11   

Where you have instructed petition clerks to use the VIDEF at signing places, you should follow the Commission’s guidance on the collation and storage of this information.  

Any document which is open to public inspection may be supplied free of charge to security organisations.12