Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

You are required to provide certain equipment and materials to polling stations and will need to plan this in advance to ensure that everything is in place for the delivery of polling station voting.

Summary of items to be provided to polling stations.

You must provide polling stations with:1

• ballot box(es) 
• ballot papers (including tendered ballot papers)
• pens or pencils to enable voters to mark their ballot papers
• polling screens
• the relevant part of the register
• absent voters lists – postal voters’, proxy voters and postal proxies
• form to record the details of electors who have been issued ballot papers after the correction of a clerical error (which may be appended to the polling station register)
• corresponding number list(s)
• ballot paper accounts
• an enlarged sample copy of the ballot paper, for display inside the polling station
• an enlarged hand-held sample copy of the ballot paper to give to electors to take to a polling booth with them for reference
• a voting device for use by blind or partially sighted voters
• Guidance for voters (How to vote at these elections) notice (to be displayed inside and outside every polling station)
• Instructions for voters notices (to be displayed inside the polling booth)
• declaration by companions of voters with disabilities
• a list of tendered votes
• a list of votes marked by the Presiding Officer
• a statement of number of votes marked by the Presiding Officer
• a list of voters with disabilities assisted by companions
• packets, with seals, in which to place the items to be returned to you, such as postal ballot papers returned to the polling station, and for packaging the election documentation at the close of poll
• the statement of parties and persons nominated (to be printed in conspicuous characters and exhibited inside and outside every polling station) 
• any additional equipment you have determined necessary to make voting easier and more accessible for disabled voters e.g. badges identifying polling station staff

You must also make such arrangements as you think fit to ensure that staff, candidates and agents appointed to attend the station are provided with the following relevant secrecy requirements.2

In addition, you should provide:

• envelopes, with seals, in which to place any ballot papers that have been issued but which the elector has not placed in the ballot box(es)
• form or list to record electors marked as postal voters but who claim not to have applied for one
• notepaper for use by polling station staff
• stationery items as required, e.g. paper clips, drawing pins, adhesive tack, adhesive tape
• plastic sacks for returning stationery and equipment to the verification venue
• envelopes for making up assorted packets

Where a polling station has an induction loop installed, it should be used wherever possible to support the accessibility of the electoral process to voters with hearing loss. Polling station staff would need to be trained on how to use these at the briefing session.

We have produced a template survey for polling station voters who required additional assistance when voting, which you may want to provide in polling stations. More information can be found in our guidance for Returning Officers on assistance with voting for disabled voters in the reviewing the election section.

You should check that all polling station equipment is fit for purpose and that you have sufficient quantities This should include considering how many ballot boxes to use, as one box may not be sufficient should there be a high turnout. All ballot boxes provided for use in polling stations must be locked or sealed as appropriate by polling station staff at the start of the poll.3

Each box should be clearly marked with the election to which it relates. 

You should have prepared your polling station equipment and materials in good time before polling day, for either delivery to polling stations or collection by Presiding Officers.