Modernising local government election services for the future

In his first speech to the Labour Party Conference as Prime Minster, Andy Burnham's headline-grabbing announcements included a promise to: "Contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone's vote counts and everyone's voice is heard."The Prime Minister has proposed a new national commission on electoral reform, but we want this commission to look wider than just voting systems. Commissions are non-partisan, evidence-based and bolstered by independent expertise, an approach we called for in our 2025 New Blueprint for a Modern Electoral Landscape. As I have outlined in an open letter to the Prime Minister, this is a generational opportunity to modernise the overall delivery of electoral services under a single Electoral Administration Act. And we believe electoral administrators must be actively included from the start.Our current electoral system is built on Victorian foundations, with legislation added every decade since – and in the recent past, every year. Stubby pencils on string are a charming feature of polling day but are a practicality from a time when fountain pen ink could have transferred crosses on ballot papers. Electoral law and practice has a lot of catching up to do to meet modern life and expectations.Positive work is already underway. Flexible voting pilots in England and Wales have trialled early voting, voting hubs and electronic electoral registers, allowing voters more choice on when and how to cast their vote. Both nations are also looking to introduce forms of automatic voter registration, aiming to increase the number of people on the electoral register without the need for them to make an application. Wholesale introduction of this type of approach, already embraced in other democracies, plus any move towards a different voting system or systems, needs fundamental electoral reform. The time for simply bolting on more change is over. We've long said elections are delivered in spite of the system, not because of it, and we hold to that. Electoral administrators have become experts in plate spinning different registration requirements, electoral franchises, poll types, voting systems and more throughout the year. But elections are more complex, less resilient and harder to administer than ever before. And I'm not convinced those outside of the electoral world truly realise that.Building a trusted electoral system that is representative, accessible and resilient will need to consider a range of areas, including:Modernisation – Backing pilots and gathering evidence around shortened polling hours, weekend voting, early voting and centralised voting hubs. Fewer polling stations and more flexibility around when and where electors vote will increase capacity.Addressing the current overreliance on postal voting – This is the biggest threat to the safe and secure delivery of any election. Postal vote volumes at all types of poll leave them vulnerable due to capacity across the supply chain, with the potential for electors to miss out. This is in addition to the spiralling cost of all mail-based correspondence – postal votes, poll cards and candidate mailings. Support for candidates – We have a political system where the barriers to candidacy are low, and numbers have risen at every recent set of scheduled elections. Support to navigate eligibility requirements and a standardisation of those requirements wherever possible, plus a centrally developed and managed digital nomination portal, are desperately needed. Support for voters – covering a range of need from: If voter ID remains, reviewing and refining the list of accepted forms of voter ID to include digitally issued official ID. Aiding Returning Officers to identify and offer help to disabled voters in their area. Clarifying second registrations for students and second homeowners to clearly define residency and what constitutes a valid second home. Exploring alternative voting options for overseas electors.Harmonisation – While recognising the independence of each nation, a commitment to work across parliaments to standardise electoral frameworks wherever possible for the benefit of electors should be prioritised. The current divergent approach leads to a more fragmented system that is harder to administer and confusing for candidates and voters.As I have promised the Prime Minister, we and our members from across the UK are ready and willing to support the new commission. As the people delivering electoral registration and polls year-round, electoral administrators must be involved from the outset, making sure reforms shape an electoral system we can successfully deliver for decades to come. Peter Stanyon, AEA chief executive

Title

ELECTIONS

Modernising local government election services for the future

By Peter Stanyon | 12 October 2026

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