With 2 weeks to go
Getting your literature out, particularly direct mail to target groups and knock up your postal voters.
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK
- Phone and foot knock all our ( possibly all non-anti depending on resources) postal voters
- Euro election address work – many areas will need to do stuffing labelling or similar for their Euro campaign in their patch.
- Deliver Cream letters if not already done.
- Submit your polling and counting agents forms
- Get you posters and stakeboards out and up
THINGS TO PREPARE FOR
- Get trained for polling day -Two weeks ago we talked about planning your “Get out the Vote” GOTV campaign, LDHQ are running OSKAR online Webinar training sessions on GOTV . Sign up here . Quick sheet instruction for polling day in Connect are here.
- Deliver your Postal vote plan
- Check and build your telling rota
- Confirm your committee rooms
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
- 5pm Wednesday 14th May – Deadline for applications for new proxy votes, other than medical emergencies.
- Thursday 15th May – Deadline for the appointment of polling and counting agents.
ELECTION LAW ROUND UP
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ATTEND THE COUNT?
Whilst your election campaign stops at 10pm on polling day, the work doesn’t as there is one very important job still to do. Making sure the votes get counted properly. Election counts done so badly that the wrong result is declared are a fairly rare occurrence but approaching the count in a calm efficient manner will usually ensure that that doesn’t happen.
There is also a lot of valuable information that can be gained from the count which you can use for targeting and informing your work in future campaigns.
WHO CAN GO TO THE COUNT?
Attendance at the count is strictly limited and set down in legislation. The candidate, candidate’s spouse (this would probably also include Civil Partner and in many cases councils will allow you to nominate anybody for this role without asking questions) and agent are allowed as of right. Each candidate also has the right to nominate a number of counting agents. The number of counting agents is set by the Returning Officer and should usually be the same for each party.
In deciding the number of people admitted to the Count (including counting staff etc) the Returning Officer will take into account the available space. This can mean that there are as few as one counting agent per candidate, whilst a decision like this would be one open to the Returning Officer, putting your case firmly but politely that they are not being reasonable in such a tight restriction may get them to reconsider.
Usually Returning Officers will allow substitutes to be used for the candidate’s spouse or agent but they are not forced to do so. Counting Agents etc must be notified to the Returning Officer by five days before polling day (excluding weekends and bank holidays).
CAN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ATTEND THE COUNT?
The conduct of the count is a matter where the Returning Officer has a wide discretion. In some areas they allow all Councillors admission to the count. It is also not uncommon if the count is being conducted in a room with a balcony to allow members of the public to view the count from there. Conversely if the Returning Officer thinks that this would not allow the count to be conducted efficiently they may prohibit it.
Any people allowed access to the Count can and should be used by us to assist in overseeing the process.