Transcript Slide 1

May 2015 Elections
AGENTS
Nomination briefing
18 March 2015
Housekeeping
Please turn all mobile phones off
or to silent
There are no fire alarm tests today
- if the alarm goes go to the
nearest fire exit and follow
directions from staff
2
Election objective
Achieve an accurate result in which
voters, candidates and political parties
have confidence
3
Topics
•
who’s who
•
key dates of the election timetable
•
qualifications and disqualifications
•
nominations
•
agents
•
postal votes
•
the poll
•
counting of votes
•
purdah
•
candidates’ expenses
•
4
contacts
Who’s who
•
The Acting Returning Officer is responsible for running the
general election
•
The Returning Officer is responsible for running the local
elections
•
David Buckle is the Acting Returning Officer for
the Henley, Oxford West and Abingdon and
Wantage constituencies
•
David Buckle is also the Returning Officer for
the South and Vale and parish elections
•
The Electoral Registration Officer is responsible for
maintaining the registers of electors and absent voters lists
David Buckle is also the Electoral Registration
Officer
5
Key dates
Publication of notice of local elections
(district and parish)
25 March
Publication of notice of Parliamentary
elections
1 April
District and parish nominations
commence
10am on 25 March
Parliamentary nominations commence
10am on 2 April
Close of all nominations and notice of
appointment of election agents
4pm on 9 April
Publication of statement of persons
nominated, including notice of poll and
situation of polling stations
5pm on 9 April, (or
4pm on 10 April
where objections)
Deadline for applications to register to
vote
20 April
Deadline for new postal vote
applications/changes to existing postal
or proxy vote arrangements
5pm on 21 April
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Key dates
Deadline for applications for new proxy
votes
5pm on 28
April
Appointment of polling and counting agents
29 April
Polling day
7 May – 7am to
10pm
Deadline to apply to vote by proxy on
grounds of medical emergency or if
unexpectedly called away because of
employment or service
5pm on 7 May
Replacement for lost/spoilt postal votes
ends
5pm on 7 May
Return of election expenses
+ 35 calendar
days from result
(if result
declared on 8
May, 12 June)
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Qualifications - Parliamentary
• Candidates must satisfy criteria on
the day they are nominated and on
polling day:
– be at least 18 years old
– either be a British citizen, a citizen of the
Republic of Ireland or a qualifying
Commonwealth citizen
• There is no requirement to be a
registered elector in the UK
8
Disqualifications – Parliamentary
Certain people are disqualified from becoming
an MP, such as:
– civil servants
– members of police forces
– members of the armed forces
– government-nominated directors of commercial
companies
– judges
– members of a foreign legislature (outside the
Commonwealth)
– peers who sit and vote in the House of Lords
– those who are subject to a bankruptcy restrictions
order or debt relief restrictions order (but not those
who are simply bankrupt) in England, Wales or
Northern Ireland and have not been discharged
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Qualifications – Local Elections
• Candidates must satisfy criteria on the day they are
nominated and on polling day:
– at least 18 years of age
– British, qualifying Commonwealth citizen (with
indefinite leave to remain), national of an EU member
state
• Also at least one of the following:
– registered local government elector for South
Oxfordshire or Vale of White Horse authority area
respectively
– occupied as owner or tenant any land or premises in
the local authority area during the whole 12 months
preceding nomination
– principal or only place of work (including unpaid) during
last 12 months in local authority area
– lived in the local authority area during the last 12
months
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Disqualifications – local elections
• A person cannot be a candidate if they:
– are employed by the relevant local authority or hold a
paid office under the authority (including joint boards or
committees). Candidates may be ‘employed by the
local authority’ if they work at certain schools, fire
services, police or health services
– are subject of a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (or
interim order) in England or Wales
– have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of
three months or more (including a suspended
sentence) without option of a fine, during the five years
before polling day
– have been disqualified under the Audit Commission Act
1998
– are serving a disqualification due to being found guilty
of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court
– hold a politically restricted post
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Submitting nomination papers
• All candidates must submit by 4pm
on 9 April:
– their nomination form
– their home address form (Parliamentary election
only)
– their consent to nomination
• Party candidates will also need to
submit by that time:
– a certificate authorising the use of a party
name/registered description on the ballot paper
– a written request to use one of the party’s
emblems on the ballot paper
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Parliamentary
nomination papers
•
take care when completing your nomination papers as
mistakes may invalidate your nomination! Complete your
nomination papers early and you may ask us to provide an
informal check
•
the nomination form, consent to nomination form and home
address form must be delivered by hand and cannot be submitted
by post, fax or other electronic means.
•
the nomination and home address form may only be delivered by:
– the candidate
– their proposer or seconder, or
– their election agent (if the Acting Returning Officer has
previously received notification of their appointment).
•
£500 deposit – preferably cash or bankers draft (or by BACS in
time for confirmation of receipt – we can provide bank details)
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Nomination form
• include the candidate’s full name
(and home address for local elections)
• optional: complete commonly used name
box(es) if commonly known by a name
other than full name and wish to use it
instead
• description field – three options:
- leave blank
- Independent
- party candidates can use party name or
description authorised by a certificate issued by
or on behalf of the nominating officer
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Nomination form - subscribers
• 10 subscribers from the constituency or ward the
candidate is standing in
• parish nominations only require two subscribers,
a proposer and seconder, from the parish/parish
ward
• must sign and print their names
• check details of subscribers against electoral
register that is valid on
- 2 March 2015 for local elections
- 1 April 2015 for Parliamentary elections
If they are not on the relevant register, they cannot
subscribe a nomination.
• only ask subscribers to sign after completing the
name and description fields on the form
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Home address form –
Parliamentary only
• must state home address in full
• must state if candidate does not want
their address to be made public and to
appear on the ballot paper. If so:
- give the name of the constituency in which
their home address is situated or
- if they live outside the UK, the name of the
country in which they reside
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Consent to nomination form Parliamentary
Must include:
• statement that the candidate is qualified
and not disqualified from standing
• their date of birth
• name, address and signature of witness
• statement that they are not a candidate
in another constituency
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Consent to nomination form –
local elections
Must include:
• name and address
• which area standing in
• confirmation of qualification(s) that apply
(at least one, but select all that apply)
• date of birth and signature
• witness’ name, address and signature
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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).
• the certificate may:
– allow the use of the party name or a description
– allow the candidate to choose whether to use the
party name or any of the descriptions registered
with the Electoral Commission
• must be submitted with the other nomination papers
by 4pm on 9 April
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Emblem request form
• party candidates can ask for an emblem to
be printed on the ballot paper
• emblem request form must be submitted
by 4pm on 9 April
• party candidates should supply an electronic
version of the emblem to the (Acting)
Returning Officer if required.
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Election agent
• responsible for the proper management
of a candidate’s election campaign;
particularly its financial management.
• notification of appointment must reach
the (Acting) Returning Officer
by 4pm on 9 April
- form is included in nomination pack
• a candidate will become their own agent
by default if none is appointed
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Delivery of nomination papers
•
the nomination papers MUST be delivered
by hand to the (Acting) Returning Officer at:
Old Abbey House
Abingdon-on-Thames
Oxfordshire OX14 3JE
•
please make an appointment with the
elections office (tel: 01235 540421 or email
[email protected]) for both
informal checks and to submit nomination
papers
•
please deliver nomination papers as early as
possible
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Other agents
• other agents can be appointed to attend postal vote
openings, polling stations and the count:
– candidates must give notice in writing of any people
appointed as polling and counting agents by 29 April
– the appointment of postal voting agents attending a
particular opening session must be made before the
start of each session. We will give 48 hours’ notice
We will give you a detailed schedule of postal vote
opening sessions at the briefing on 16 April
All postal vote opening will take place at
Old Abbey House, Abingdon-on-Thames
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Free candidate mailing Parliamentary
•
all candidates who are validly nominated are
entitled to send one election communication,
free of charge, to electors across the
constituency
•
it must include matters relating to the election
only
•
candidates can choose to send either:
– one unaddressed election communication of up
to 60 grams to every postal address, or
– one election communication of up to 60 grams
addressed to each elector
•
contact Royal Mail to make arrangements
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Access to electoral register/absent
voting lists - Parliamentary
• access by candidates – once they
officially become a candidate:
– earliest, on 30 March if candidates, or others,
have declared themselves a candidate on or
before this date
– after 30 March, once candidates or others have
declared themselves a candidate or you submit
nomination papers, whichever is earliest
• make written request to the ERO
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Access to electoral register/absent
voting lists – local elections
• access by candidates – once they
officially become a candidate:
– earliest, on 25 March if they, or others
declared themselves as a candidate
– once candidates or others have declared
themselves a candidate after this
date/date they submit their nomination
papers
• make written request to the ERO
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Access to electoral register/
absent voting lists
• only use data for permitted purposes
– to complete the nomination form
– to help candidates’ campaigns
– to check that donations/loans are
permissible
It is illegal to use the data for any other
purposes
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Registration
•
candidates and agents are uniquely placed to encourage
people to register to vote
•
•
please encourage people to register as soon as possible
•
registration has changed from a household to an individual
system
•
even if electors have sent back a household enquiry form,
they must respond to any invitation to register forms
•
individuals can now also register online at
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
- it only takes a few minutes
•
please refer people to the online registration or to
contact the elections office direct
although the deadline for applying for the election is 20
April 2015 they should apply as early as possible
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Registration
• when discussing registering to vote with individuals,
you will need to make them aware that to register
they will need:
– their national insurance number
– date of birth
– address
• they must respond promptly to any forms received
from the elections office – registration may be a two
stage process
• people who do not have/cannot retrieve their national
insurance number can still register, but they may
need to provide further information - if so, they will be
contacted by the electoral registration officer
• candidates, agents and canvassers should not
collect any personal identifier information
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Absent voting
•
if you are encouraging people who don’t have a
postal (or proxy) vote to apply for one, make
sure you explain that they will only qualify for
one if they are (or will be when their data has
been verified) individually registered
•
they will be registered individually if:
– they applied to register after 10 June 2014 or
– were transferred onto the new registers as
their details could be matched with official
records (they would have received a letter
providing confirmation of this transfer)
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Campaigning dos and don’ts
• you MUST use imprints on all campaign material
• it is advisable to put it on electronic material too
• do make sure outdoor posters are removed no later
than two weeks after the election
• do not produce material that looks like a poll card
• do not pay people to display adverts (unless they
display adverts as part of their normal business)
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Code of conduct for campaigners
Campaigners are an essential element of a healthy
democracy, but their activities should not bring into question
the integrity of the electoral process
•
Electoral registration and absent vote applications:
- you are advised to direct anyone wishing to register to
vote to the online registration site
https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
or contact the elections office directly at
[email protected] or on 01235 540310
Anyone wishing to apply for a postal vote MUST first be
registered and their details successfully verified. Please
refer them to the elections office direct as
early as possible
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Code of conduct for
campaigners
•
postal ballot packs:
– never touch a postal ballot paper
– never observe electors completing their postal vote
– never handle or take any completed ballot papers or
postal ballot packs from voters
•
campaigning outside polling stations:
– candidates and agents are allowed to put messages to
voters on polling day, including in public spaces
outside polling places
– keep access to polling places and the pavements
around polling places clear to allow voters to enter
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Polling day
•
•
polling stations open from 7am to 10pm
•
for queries relating to election finance issues, contact the
Electoral Commission (contact details shown later)
•
voters in the polling station or in a queue outside the polling
station at 10pm can apply for a ballot paper
•
postal votes – can be handed into polling stations within
constituency/ward or delivered to the elections office until
10pm
•
a person in a queue at a polling station at 10pm waiting to
hand in postal vote can do so after 10pm
office open 6.45am to 10pm for queries or problems
relating to the administration of the election
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Counting of votes
• the count for the Parliamentary and local elections
will be held at the White Horse Leisure and Tennis
Centre, Audlett Drive, Abingdon-on-Thames, OX14
3PJ
• count centre will open to candidates and agents from
approximately 9.45pm - further details at next
briefing on 16 April
• verification from 10pm to approximately 2am
• Parliamentary counts 2am to approximately 6am
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Counting of votes
• candidates, election agents, counting agents and
one other person appointed by the candidate are
entitled to attend
• we may apply limits to counting agents
•
details at 16 April briefing after the close of nominations
-
:
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Counting of votes
• the votes will be verified for all elections as the ballot
boxes are received at the count centre
• the local and parish elections votes will be
consolidated into ward/parish ballot boxes, sealed
and stored securely until Friday/Saturday
• the district council election votes will be counted
from 12pm on Friday 8 May at the White Horse
Leisure and Tennis Centre
• the town and parish election votes will be counted
from 10am on Saturday 9 May in Abingdon, Henley
and Thame
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Purdah – all elections
•
The build up to elections is called “purdah”
or “pre-election period” where publicity
restrictions apply
•
•
This year it will start on 25 March
•
Proactive events will be avoided during this
period and will not involve councillors
standing for election
South and Vale will follow statutory
restrictions and guidance for local
authorities about publicity during the preelection period
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Purdah – all elections
• Information published by the councils
in this period will be factual and not
refer to political parties or councillors
• If in doubt, please contact the
Communications team for advice and
information
• “Purdah – a short guide to publicity
during the pre-election period” is
available from the Local Government
Association website www.local.gov.uk
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Spending issues
40
Candidate spending
• defined as certain expenses ‘used for
the purposes of the candidate’s
election’ during the regulated period
• responsibility of election agent
• limit on expenses
• must get and keep receipts (over £20)
41
Candidate spending – local
elections
• defined as certain expenses ‘used for the purposes of
the candidate’s election’ during the regulated period.
• responsibility of election agent
• limit on expenses:
– £740 + 6 pence per elector in ward/division on
register in force on 2 March 2015
– reduced for joint candidates
• must get and keep receipts (over £20)
42
Candidates spending returns –
local elections
•
returns due 35 calendar days after result of
election
•
•
returns made public by Returning Officer
•
failure to submit an expenses return is a
criminal offence enforceable by police
•
no spending will be reimbursed
sample of returns may be reviewed by the
Electoral Commission
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The parliamentary spending
limit
Fixed
amount
Variable
amount
Spending
limit
44
The regulated period
Start of long
campaign
Dissolution of
Parliament
Nomination
deadline
Short
campaign
Long campaign
19 December
2014
Polling day
30 March
2015
9 April
2015
7 May
2015
45
Candidates’ spending returns Parliamentary
•
returns due 35 calendar days after result of
election
•
returns made public by Acting Returning
Officer
•
sample of returns may be reviewed by the
Electoral Commission
•
failure to submit an expenses return is a
criminal offence enforceable by the police
•
no spending will be reimbursed
46
Contacts
• elections office –
•
[email protected] and
telephone 01235 540310for general
queries and 01235 540421 for
nominations appointments
Electoral Commission contacts
– For questions on the Commission’s
guidance on standing for election,
contact
www.electoralcommission.org.uk/contactus/our-offices
– For questions on election spending,
telephone 020 7271 0616
47
Next briefing
•
A further briefing for candidates and
agents will be held here on
Thursday 16 April at 5.30pm
•
It will include detailed election and
count arrangements
48
Further guidance
For comprehensive
agent/candidate/party guidance, please
go to the Electoral Commission website
www.electoralcommission.org.uk
49
Questions
Any questions?
50