Monday 6 March 2017 Elections Team David Hagg Deputy Returning - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Gloucestershire County Council Elections Stroud County Divisions Candidates and Election Agents Briefing

Monday 6 March 2017

David Hagg Deputy Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer Allison Richards Assistant Deputy Returning Officer and Strategic Head (Tenant and Corporate Services) Hannah Emery Assistant Deputy Returning Officer and Principal Elections Officer Harriet Davis Elections Support Officer Rebecca Poole Elections Support Officer

Elections Team

Topics

• Election Timetable
• Completing a nomination paper
• Agents
• Campaign and expenses
• Code of conduct
• Polling day and tellers
• Count arrangements

Logistics

• Pete Bungard GCC’s Chief Executive is Returning

Officer for the County Council elections

• 53 seats across Gloucestershire
• 10 county divisions (10 seats) within Stroud
• Each division has approx 9,300 electors
• 93,199 eligible electors
• 15,252 postal voters (16% of electoral roll)
• 96 polling stations requiring 232 staff
• 125 staff for verification and count

Election Timetable

Publication of Notice of Election (purdah begins) Friday 24 March Nominations Open Monday 27 March Close of Nominations 4pm Tuesday 4 April Notification of appointment of election agents 4pm Tuesday 4 April Publication of Statement of Persons Nominated 5pm Wednesday 5 April Deadline for applications to register to vote Thursday 13 April Deadline for new postal vote applications/changes to existing postal or proxy vote applications 5pm – Tuesday 18 April Publication of Notice of Poll/Situation of Polling Stations Tuesday 25 April

Election Timetable

Deadline for applications for new proxy votes 5pm Tuesday 25 April Appointment of counting and polling agents Wednesday 26 April Deadline to apply to vote by proxy on grounds of medical emergency or if unexpectedly called away because of employment or service 5pm – polling day Replacement for lost/spoilt postal votes ends 5pm – polling day Alterations to register to correct clerical error 9pm – polling day Verification and Count 10pm – polling day Return of election expenses Friday 9 June

Submitting nomination papers

1. Read the Electoral Commissions guidance Part 1 to check if you are qualified to stand as a candidate 2. Two nomination papers must be submitted by all candidates by 4pm – Tuesday 4 April a) The nomination form b) The consent to nomination 3. Party candidates will also need to submit, by 4pm – Tuesday 4 April a) A certificate authorising the use of a party name/registered description on the ballot paper b) A written request to use one of the party's emblems on the ballot paper

Nomination Form

1. Include your full name and address 2. Optional: complete commonly used name box if commonly known by another name and wish to use it instead. 3. Description: a) Independent b) Party candidates can use party name or description authorised by or on behalf of the Nominating Officer 4. Subscribers: a) 10 subscribers from county division – check elector numbers against 1 March 2017 register. If they are not on that register they cannot subscribe your nomination. b) Only ask subscribers to sign after completing name, address and description fields on the form.

Consent to nomination form

• Must include:

– name and address – County division name – confirmation of qualification(s) that apply (at least 1, but select all that apply) – date of birth & signature – witness’ name, address and signature

Certificate of Authorisation & Emblem Request

Certificate of authorisation:

• Party candidates must have written permission to use the party

name/description from the Nominating Officer (or a person appointed to act on their behalf) Emblem request:

• Party candidates can ask for an emblem to be printed on the

ballot paper

• Must be signed by Candidate
• Use name or description of Emblem as on Electoral

Commission’s website

Submitting nomination papers

• Complete your nomination papers early

– Must be delivered by hand – Make appointments for informal checks

• Once a nomination paper has been formally

submitted, no changes can be made to it

• If you want to make changes you must withdraw

your candidature and then submit new papers within the timeframe

Agents

• Election Agent
• Responsible for the conduct and management of the campaign

and ensuring that your election expenses are properly completed and delivered on time.

• If you do not appoint an agent by 4pm on the 4 April you are

deemed to be your own agent.

• Postal vote agent
• Candidates may appoint ONE agent to attend each opening

session

• Appointments must be made before the start of each session

Agents

• Polling Agent
• Allowed to attend polling stations during the hours of poll to

note any irregularities or prevent personation - not to be confused with tellers

• Counting agent
• Each candidate may appoint TWO agents to observe the count
• This figure is subject to change depending on the total number of

candidates

Polling Agents and Counting Agents must be appointed in writing by Wednesday 26 April

Campaign, code of conduct & expenses

Campaign publicity material

• Use imprints (name and address of the printer and promoter) on

all your campaign material, including websites

• Comply with planning rules relating to advertising hoardings and

large banners

• No posters are to be placed on any street furniture or highway

land

• Do not produce material that looks like a poll card
• Do not pay people to display your adverts (unless they display

adverts as part of their normal business)

• Outdoor posters should be removed 2 weeks after the election
• Position statement issued by GCC included in information pack

• Absent vote applications:
• Make sure electors understand implications of absent vote
• Do not encourage postal ballot pack redirection
• Do not encourage electors to appoint a campaigner as proxy
• Include council’s address for the return of forms
• Ensure unaltered applications are sent within two working

days

• Contact electoral services for blank postal vote application

forms

Campaign publicity material

Postal votes

• Deadline for receipt of applications Tuesday 18 April
• Despatched Wednesday 19 April
• Candidates can be present at the opening of postal votes
• Candidates can appoint ONE postal voting agent per
• pening session
• All opening times and locations are included in your

Candidate and Agent Guidance pack

Code of Conduct for campaigners

• Each candidate and agent is asked to sign up to

the National Code of Conduct in relation to the handling of postal votes – Never touch a postal ballot paper – Never observe electors complete their postal vote – Never handle or take any completed ballot papers or postal ballot packs from voters

Individual Electoral Registration

When campaigning, advise electors to register online if not registered

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Bookmarks are available for campaigning Poll cards will be dispatched Friday 24 March The deadline to register is Thursday 13 April

Access to Electoral Register/Absent voting lists

• Once officially a candidate you have access to the Electoral

Register & Absent Votes list

• Make written request to the Electoral Registration Officer

(forms available in pack)

• Only use data for permitted purposes

– To complete nomination form – To help you campaign – To check that donations/loans are permissible

Candidate spending limit and expenses

• Expenses forms are issued with the nomination pack
• Responsibility of Election Agent
• Expenses must be returned even if NIL return
• Spending limit per division is included information pack
• Expenses return due Friday 9 June
• Returns made public and sample of returns may be reviewed

by the Electoral Commission

• Failure to submit an expenses return is a criminal offence
• No spending will be reimbursed

Polling day and Count

Polling day

• Polling hours from 7.00am – 10.00pm
• All county ballot papers will be white
• Offices open from 6.15am
• Only candidates, agents and officially appointed polling agents

can attend the polling stations

• Postal votes can be handed in at stations or offices until 10pm
• Electors should be able to cast their votes free of intimidation
• No long term parking of vehicles for campaign purposes,

displaying election material or using loud speakers immediately

• utside polling stations

Tellers

Can

• Be outside the polling station (entering only to cast their vote)
• Approach voters for information as they enter/leave the polling station
• Display a coloured rosette displaying the name of candidate/party,

description & emblem but it must not be oversized

Cannot

• Be able to hear what is happening inside the polling station
• Impede, obstruct or intimidate voters on their way in or out
• Demand any information relating to a voter’s elector number, name or

address

• Have discussions with voters that may give rise to allegations of undue

influence

Verification & Count

• 10.00pm 4 May, Stratford Park Leisure Centre
• Entry is for candidates, agents and named guests only (26

April deadline)

• Monitors will show progress across Gloucestershire

Verification

• First stage is to verify the number of ballots in each box

against the Presiding Officers Accounts

• Ballot papers will be face up but not counted at this stage

Verification & Count

Count

• Ballot papers are separated into votes cast for each

candidate

• Paper clipped into 10’s, counted and stacked into

candidate piles on the tables

• Votes are totalled for each candidate
• Provisional result discussed with candidates and

agents

• Result declared

Verification & Count

Reasons for rejected ballot papers:

• Want of official mark
• Voting for more than one candidate
• Writing or mark by which voter could be identified
• Unmarked
• Void for uncertainty (voter intentions are not clear)

Key Contacts

• Elections office

01453 754887 elections@stroud.gov.uk

• Gloucestershire Highways department

08000 514514 GCCHighways@amey.co.uk

• Electoral Commission Contacts

03000 683390 inforengland@electoralcommisssion.org.uk https://pefonline.electoralcommission.org.uk/search/searchintro.aspx, (for registered political parties and descriptions)

• Police Single Point of Contact – DI Ian Ginn

01452 753127 or 07525 232961 Ian.ginn@gloucestershire.pnn.police.uk