Everyone who works in elections wants the main headlines after polling day to focus on results, not how polls were run.
The initial picture is that 4 May polls ran smoothly and without major issues. This is testament to returning officers’ and electoral administrators’ months of planning and hard work, which the Electoral Commission commended at the close of polls.
Looking closer, anecdotal reports of people not meeting new voter ID requirements were disheartening. While some electors bringing the wrong ID or none at all was anticipated, it didn’t make implementing new rules any easier for frontline staff. The effect on electors is still to be analysed.
There were worrying reports of electors berating staff about voter ID in some stations. Sefton Council’s leader addressed the issue in a public statement on 5 May: “We knew … this change would not be well received by some of our communities but to hear that our hard working staff, who are simply helping people have their democratic say, have been subjected to horrid abuse is frankly shocking.”
The Electoral Commission will publish its initial voter ID analysis in June. A full election report will follow in September, incorporating research with electors who did and didn’t vote, as well as feedback from candidates and electoral administrators.
There will inevitably be much to learn from research, including our own. We and the wider electoral community will work with the Electoral Commission and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to identify, acknowledge and address issues – and as importantly - acknowledge and share good practice.
Disseminating good practice is imperative. Voter ID is now required at local polls in England; Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections in England and Wales; any UK Parliamentary constituency recall petitions and by-elections in Great Britain; and from 5 October for UK Parliamentary general elections.
Many electoral administrators without polls last week, including from Scotland and Wales, travelled to shadow and support colleagues. Seeing voter ID first-hand to inform their own election planning was a sensible move, underscoring their professionalism and dedication to democracy.
While the spotlight rightly remains on voter ID, it isn’t the only issue to highlight from these elections.
Recruiting and retaining polling station staff remains a major problem. Polling day between two consecutive bank holiday weekends was likely a factor, plus the need for additional staff to manage new Elections Act 2022 processes.
Many election teams without polls helped neighbours recruit from their own pools of experienced polling station staff. This stopgap is unsustainable for 2024, as all local authorities in England and Wales have scheduled 2 May polls. Analysis and solutions are urgently needed.
Long verifications and counts were more prevalent, particularly for all-out areas. Local counts cover scores of seats with hundreds of candidates. Multi-member wards are more complicated to count, particularly when parishes also go to poll.
To avoid counting on Coronation Day, Returning Officers and teams soldiered on to finish principal area counts on Friday. In Wakefield’s case, even as a flash flood delayed their start. Reviewing count plans before 2024 is a must.
There is less than a year to plan for major scheduled polls on 2 May 2024. This will include any UK Government revisions to voter ID and accessibility regulations, plus the next tranche of Elections Act changes.
Subject to secondary legislation, these will include a new online absent vote portal, postal vote reapplications every three years instead of signature refreshes every five, and greater restrictions on handling and handing in postal votes.
The changes will debut at elections for the Mayor of London and London Assembly, PCCs in England and Wales, plus existing and new Combined Authority Mayoralties – all requiring cross-boundary cooperation across multiple councils. Salford will go to the polls to elect their Mayor, and just over 100 councils in England will run elections for their own seats, and thousands on parish and town councils.
Returning officers and election teams are also keenly aware the next General Election must be held within the next 20 months. After October this will run on new constituency boundaries, with further Elections Act 2022 changes likely in place, including removing the 15-year limit to register as an overseas elector.
As electoral change continues apace, we all hope headlines continue to focus on results. However, we remain concerned the increasing burden on returning officers and elections teams means one day, the story will instead become how the poll was run.
Peter Stanyon is chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators
