Guidance for Returning Officers administering Local Government Elections in England

Ballot paper security

You must ensure the security of ballot papers during production, delivery and storage. Once the official mark is printed on your ballot papers, they are effectively ‘live’. 

Regardless of whether you have outsourced your printing or are printing in-house, in order to ensure that voters can have confidence in the process, your security arrangements should prevent unauthorised access to or use of the ballot papers. 

These restrictions should apply during all stages of the production process and storage between printing and the poll.

You can find further information in our guidance on planning for ballot paper security.

Last updated: 19 December 2023