As part of your planning you will need to consider how you will deal with queries raised by the public and other stakeholders, bearing in mind that the queries will be of a different nature to those at an election. You should review your internal FAQs. You will also need to establish how queries should be directed and, where necessary, an appropriate escalation process.
You should also ensure that those involved in the petition are aware that it is an offence to publish any forecasts about the result of the petition.1
Providing information to the public
You must issue official petition notices to electors and publish the notices as set out in the legislation. More information is given in our guidance on the delivery of pre-petition processes.
Unlike at an election, there is no duty for the Petition Officer to promote participation in a recall petition. You should provide factual information about how people can sign the petition, for example by ensuring that details from the notice of petition are published on your website and communicated by other means as you see fit.
Engaging with petition campaigners
You will need to prepare for communicating and engaging with petition campaigners. Petition campaigners may campaign for or against the petition.
Campaigners can be non-accredited or accredited. They become accredited by delivering an accreditation notice to you and, where appropriate, by appointing a ‘responsible person’.2
Once you have received an accreditation notice, you must give public notice of the details it contains in whatever way you see fit. You must not publicise the home address of individual accredited campaigners.3
Accredited petition campaigners are entitled to receive a copy of the petition register. Non-accredited campaigners are not entitled to this information. You will need to advise accredited petition campaigners how they can access copies of the petition register from you. They should also be advised that any request for absent signers’ lists should be made to the ERO.4
Petition campaigners are not entitled to attend the signing places or postal signing sheet opening sessions. If you decide to allow them access to the counting of signatures, you will need to provide them with information about the arrangements.
Our guidance for recall petition campaigners includes information about the rules on campaign spending, donations and reporting, as well as the use of imprints.