Instructions to Presiding Officers and Clerks

General Election Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South Constituencies

Prepared and issued on behalf of the Returning Officer Election Unit Aberdeen City Council AB10 1FY April 2017

Copyright © Aberdeen City Council 2017 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduce, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographic, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of Aberdeen City Council

Points to note about this election, where there are differences from recent polls.

 This is a “First past the post” election. Voters should mark a single “X” against the single candidate of their choice. While a “1” will be accepted in lieu of a “X” any other mark is likely to lead to rejection of the ballot paper.  The voting age is 18 and only those who have no date against their mane in the Register or who have a date which is on or before polling day may vote. You may encounter confused young voters who were entitled to vote in the local government election but not in this one.  The franchise letters indicating entitlement to vote are very different: “F” can vote, “E”,”G”, “K”,”L” and “U” cannot.

Note:

This handbook is issued by the Returning Officer for the Aberdeen North and South Constituencies in relation to the General Election. As such it constitutes instructions to Polling Station staff. While much of the material will be familiar to staff who have worked at recent polls, there are significant differences. This handbook should be read well in advance of polling day and any questions raised with the Election Unit.

Staff may wish to supplement their knowledge from publications produced by the Electoral Commission. These publications contain much helpful material and any conflict with the contents of this handbook is very unlikely. It must be remembered, however, that the Electoral Commission has no statutory or other responsibility for the conduct of the election – that is the sole responsibility of the Returning Officer. In case of conflict this handbook or other direct instructions by the Returning Officer must prevail.

IN THE POLLING STATION

Basic Polling Day Procedures

1.0 OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION TO VOTING

In this election voters may cast only one vote by marking an X against the name of the candidate of their choice.

Unlike Scottish Parliament and European Parliament elections, where there is an element of “party lists” and Local Government elections where the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, this is a “First Past the Post” election where voters are asked to place a single “X” against one of the candidates – who may represent a political party or be independent. Any other mark on the paper may make it impossible to count the vote as it may be difficult to understand the elector’s intention.

The following notes are based on an allocation of one Presiding Officer and one Polling Clerk per station with no Information Officers. AS it is a relatively straightforward poll, it is unlikely that any additional staff will be provided.

References to the “Returning Officer” are to the Council’s Chief Executive as Returning Officer who has overall responsibility for the conduct of the Election. For practical purposes most of your contact will be with the Depute Returning Officers in the Election Unit who act with full powers on behalf of the Returning Officer.

The early part of this handbook deals with ordinary voting procedures. Less usual situations such as proxy voters or voters with sight difficulties are covered in later sections.

2.0 BEFORE POLLING DAY

It is impossible to predict how many voters will choose to vote at your Polling Station – on crude averages and if everyone voted you would have roughly one voter every two minutes but many will have chosen to vote by post; others may choose not to vote, so the number actually voting will be substantially less than the number allocated to the station. Nevertheless there will be periods during the day (often early in the morning) when you will be extremely busy. It is important therefore to plan ahead and be prepared. It is critically important that you are fully aware of your duties and the procedures for which you are responsible.

Remember also that work in a Polling Station is not “just another casual job”. You are a statutory officer and the law imposes on you certain rights, responsibilities and duties. In an extreme case, if you fail in these, you may face criminal prosecution. In particular, you have a duty to maintain the secrecy and impartiality of the poll. It is a specific criminal offence to work both for the Returning Officer and a candidate. If, therefore, you have worked (or intend to work) for a candidate or party at this election, even in so menial a role as stuffing envelopes, you cannot work in a Polling Station. Similarly, you must not make any public statements of a political nature, for example on social media

2.1 Location of Polling Station

It is important that all Polling Station staff know where their Polling Station is situated. While most polling places will be in their familiar locations, you should not count on this. Details of your Polling Station will have been provided in your letter of appointment. While many Polling Places are schools or community centres with adequate parking in the grounds this cannot be guaranteed. Where parking is on street or in a public car park, there are no exemptions from parking controls for polling staff. Wherever you park, make sure that you do not obstruct access for voters, particularly those with disabilities.

Note that in places where there is more than one Polling Station, you should check the station number on your letter of appointment to ensure that you go to the correct station. For example, if the station code is DG0107/1, it is the number 1 station: DG0107/2, the number 2 station and so on.

It is imperative that you are not late on Polling Day and arrive in good time to set up and open at exactly 0700hrs. Check the exact location of the Polling Station and the amount of time it will take you to get there from your home. Polling staff are responsible for setting up the Station. This should take no more than 30 minutes although 45 minutes have been allocated.

While you should check the location of the building beforehand, you should not make contact with the premises or try to visit the room to be used as a Polling Station. The reason for this prohibition is simple. We rely on a great deal of goodwill from the owners of premises and their caretakers in running the election. In many cases, taking the premises over for polling day causes them real problems in their normal business. They also have to put up with visits from Election Unit staff and make arrangements for the delivery/uplift of equipment, which can be particularly difficult for premises which are run mainly by volunteers and are not open all day every day.

To expect them to accommodate additional visits by anything up to a dozen Polling Station staff is simply unreasonable and must not happen.

2.2 Preparing For Polling Day

The day of the Election will be a long one for Polling Station staff. Make sure you are prepared, by bringing sufficient food and drink to last the whole day or arrange for supply drops as necessary, as you will not be able to leave the Polling Place. In some cases you may have access to a staff room with a kettle but you should not rely on this.

Note that there is no legal entitlement to meal breaks. Obviously you will need to eat and commonsense arrangements need to be made between PO and PCs to allow each other a break at quiet times. Staff must not however leave the grounds of the Polling Place.

3.0 POLLING DAY – BEFORE THE POLLS OPEN

The Presiding Officer and the Polling Clerk should arrive at the Polling Station by 6.15am at the latest. If you are unavoidably detained or know that you will be unable to attend your Polling Station, please contact the Election Unit without delay. If your PO/PC has not turned up shortly after 7am, contact the Election Unit. (The Unit will be staffed from 6am on Polling Day and voicemail and e-mail are available at other times.) It is perfectly proper for one person to operate the

Polling Station but we will endeavour to provide a replacement as soon as possible. Unless you are in a polling Place with a single Polling Station, please do not contact us about absent staff until 0700. This allows for unexpected traffic delays and allows us (there are only three of us) to concentrate on ensuring that every station can open at the correct time.

3.1 What happens if the Key-Holder to the building does not turn up?

Try to contact the key-holder and alert the Election Unit immediately.

If you still cannot gain access contact the Election Unit to get instructions - 01224 523521. We have additional contacts for every polling place and have a locksmith on standby to force entry.

3.2 Supplies and Materials

All the equipment and materials which you require to set up and operate the Polling Station will have been delivered to the Polling Place in advance. All equipment will be of the familiar type.

If there is a problem in locating the equipment contact the key-holder in the first instance (do not let him/her depart until you have located it) but let the Election Unit know before 7am so that replacements can be supplied in time for the opening of the poll.

An inventory of Polling Station supplies will be provided with the Ballot Box.

The contents of the Ballot Box must be checked and removed immediately upon receipt.

If you find on checking the contents that any of the equipment and materials listed on your inventory is missing, please contact the Election Unit immediately. Note that pencils, rulers, string, sticky tape etc. are in the “Sundries Pack” supplied to you. While most of the contents of sundries pack, can be used for any election, the packs are commercially produced and some Returning Officers ask the supplier to include various forms and signs as part of the pack.

In Aberdeen, we provide the forms and signs separately, so it may well be that the forms and signs contained in your sundries pack are not directly related to this election. Apart, therefore, from the basic “Polling Station”, “Entrance”, “Exit” signs and the arrows, you MUST NOT use any of the other signs in the packs (particularly those giving details of the voting procedure) and you MUST NOT

complete and return any of the forms in the pack – you will have been provided with colour coded forms and envelopes along with all the other Polling Station equipment. The completion of these is dealt with later in this handbook.

Check that the Ballot Papers are the correct ones for the Constituency, that the printing of numbers is sequential and that there are no obvious printing errors. Check also that the numbers on the Ballot Papers match those on the Corresponding Numbers List (lilac).

3.3 Standards of Appearance of the Polling Station Team

The atmosphere in the Polling Station should be business-like and friendly and you should dress accordingly. Remember, however, that some halls can be draughty. “Smart comfortable” should be regarded as rig of the day.

You must not wear any badges, slogans, or even colours, which could appear to be representative of a Political Party or supportive of a particular Candidate.

You will be provided with a badge identifying you as an election official. This must be returned at close of poll.

Check your watch, either before you go to bed or when you wake up, against the radio or television for accuracy. Remember to bring your watch or a clock to the Polling Station.

3.4 Polling Station Layout

The first job on your arrival is to set up the Polling Station and put up the signs including those outside the building. The layout of the room is important.

Examples of the layout of a room where there is one or more Polling Stations are set out overleaf. These are shown as a guide and you may have to adapt to meet local circumstances. Remember that there should be a clear division between stations (tensa barriers and barrier tape, supplemented by chairs and tables where necessary ) to ensure that electors do not put ballot papers in the wrong box. Where the outside door of the premises will normally be closed during the hours of poll, make sure that it can easily be opened by voters and that it cannot latch shut automatically. If necessary wedge or tie it open. Check periodically that no- one has interfered with it.

Remember to take full account of the needs of disabled voters:  Is the Ballot Box accessible and at a suitable height?  Are the signs at a height where they can be read by all voters including wheelchair users?  Is there sufficient space for wheelchair access to the voting compartments? You will be provided with a unit containing 4 voting compartments. One of these will have the writing shelf at a lower level to suit wheelchair users. The unit should be positioned to allow maximum room round the compartment.  Is there adequate lighting?

In arranging the Polling Station furniture it is important to take full account of the following:

 In Polling Places where there is more than one station make sure the Polling Stations and, in particular, each station’s Polling Booth and Ballot Box, are kept separate. Extending “tensa” barriers and red/white barrier tape will have been provided but if these should prove insufficient they can be supplemented with chairs/tables. It is good practice where possible to ensure that (1) the voter has to pass the staff desk and Ballot Box between leaving the booth and leaving the Polling Station and (2) a voter cannot easily get to the Ballot Box in any adjoining station.

 Ballot Boxes and Polling Booths should be arranged to ensure they are accessible to voters in a way that allows the Presiding Officer to maintain control of the voting process.

 Ballot Boxes should be placed at a height which makes them accessible to all voters – usually on a chair rather than a table.

.5 Signs and Notices

As well as the basic “Polling Place”, “Polling Station” signs, the following signs are provided and must be displayed as instructed:

(1) Notes for Guidance of Voters – These provide guidance as to the voting process in both text and pictorial format. One should be placed on the “Totem Poll” at the entrance to the station and one in each voting compartment. (2) “Mark one X only” notices – One must be placed in each voting compartment.

Note: These two signs may be provided in a combined version.

(3) Large Specimen Ballot Paper for the benefit of voters with sight difficulties (see later section). – This should be prominently displayed where it can be pointed out to voters on the Totem Poll. (4) Street Lists – These should be prominently displayed at the entrance to Polling Station. A further set will be provided to the PO1 to be displayed at the entrance to the Polling Place to indicate which streets are allocated to each station (only where there is more than one station).

Other directional signs will be provided. In placing the signs it may be useful to get your colleague to follow the route from street to Ballot Box to make sure that the signage is logical and easy to follow. Where free standing metal signs are provided, these should be used within the building only unless they are weighted with sandbags.

It is important to ensure that, where only one entrance to a building is in use (particularly where other entrances are on different streets) there is signage at closed doors, pointing to the one which is in use. Voters must not be confronted with a locked door or gate with no indication of the door in use.

Sufficient signs should have been provided with your Ballot Box and you should position these appropriately but if it appears during the day that additional signage is necessary, you will find additional supplies in the sundries pack. Visiting RO staff or the Election Unit can always arrange for additional supplies. Please make sure that there are no party political posters or other material that might be construed as supporting the views of any Political Party or Candidate involved in the Election displayed in or on the premises. If you do discover any such materials, they must be removed or covered up. (In schools this may include any current affairs project work pinned up on the wall – cover rather than remove).

3.6 Sealing the Ballot Box

The Presiding Officer should close and seal the Ballot Box a few minutes before 7am. If Candidates/Agents/Observers are present you should show them that it is empty before you seal it.

In the unlikely event that it seems that your Ballot Box may be full prior to the close of poll, contact the Election Unit for a spare.

The Ballot Boxes supplied will be the collapsible plastic type. These have a cardboard insert for rigidity which should not be removed. You should also ensure that the insert is as close to the side of the box as possible to avoid papers slipping down behind it. These boxes are sealed with single use plastic security seals, each of which has a unique number. There is no magic in the number of seals which you should use. The object of the exercise is to ensure that the box cannot be opened or

anything inserted or removed without destroying whatever seals you have put on it. Remember not to seal the slot until the close of poll and retain a seal for this purpose. Record the serial numbers of the seals used where indicated at the foot of the Ballot Paper Account.

While it rarely happens, Candidates and their Agents are entitled to affix their own seals to the Ballot Box at close of poll (BUT NOT BEFORE THE POLL OPENS) and if asked you should facilitate this.

3.7 Some Last Minute Checks Before Opening

Just before you open the Polling Station take a few moments to double check that everything is ready – materials all present and layout appropriate.

Ensure that the Official Envelopes, unused books of Ballot Papers, Tendered Ballot Papers and other official documentation is safely out of reach of unauthorised individuals. (There have been amateur attempts at fraud at polls in England where an Agent has made off with a spare book of ballot papers) Check that you use your Ballot Papers, commencing with the lowest serial number, in the order in which they appear on the Corresponding Numbers List. If you don’t do this, you will have considerable difficulty in fulfilling your statutory duty to complete the Ballot Paper Account at close of poll. Note that, as usual, there are no counterfoils to the Ballot Papers – the elector’s number is entered on the Corresponding Numbers List (lilac) against the number of the Ballot Paper and that nothing must be written on the ballot paper. Note also that for this election normal Ballot Papers will be white. Tendered Ballot Papers will, as usual, be pink.

4.0 POLLING DAY

4.1 Opening The Polling Station

There are often a number of electors, usually people on their way to work, who arrive promptly at the opening of the poll. You may even find electors waiting for the Polling Station to open. Even if there is a queue, you cannot let anyone vote before 7am.

4.2 Who May be Present in the Polling Station?

The following people may be present:

 Voters  Companions of disabled voters  Persons under 18 accompanying voters  Candidates and Election Agents

 One Polling Agent for each candidate  On-duty Police Officers  The Returning Officer and staff appointed by her  Official Observers and Electoral Commission representatives

The Presiding Officer can restrict the number of persons in a Polling Station if necessary to avoid disruption of voting and to preserve the secrecy of the ballot.. You cannot, however, eject Polling Agents or representatives of the Electoral Commission. Each candidate may appoint Polling Agents. Unlike Tellers (discussed later) they have the right to enter the Polling Station and observe voting. The principal reason for this is to allow the Candidates to detect and deter people impersonating voters, a specific type of fraud known as “Personation”. However, only one Polling Agent for any particular candidate may be in a Polling Station at any one time. It is likely that you will receive a visit from them at some point during the day but they must not disrupt voting or attempt to canvass voters. It is permissible for a Polling Agent to be in the Polling Station during the whole hours of poll but this is unusual. Normally they will visit occasionally and will be interested in the number of Ballot Papers issued. If asked, you should provide an accurate figure, but you cannot tell them (or anyone else) whether any particular person has voted or not. If a Polling Agent is present for the whole or part of the voting process, he/she is entitled to mark names off on his/her own copy of the Register, that copy must not be taken out of the Polling Station during the hours of poll.

As at recent elections, we will not be issuing passes to Candidates and Agents. Instead we will provide you with a list of those entitled to attend and you should check photographic evidence of identity against this. We do not expect serious attempts to infiltrate unauthorised individuals into Polling Stations, so you should be reasonable as to what you accept as evidence of identity. Bus passes, works ID cards, student cards etc. are all OK.

In addition you may, during the course of the day, receive a visit from the Returning Officer or one of her representatives and Senior Police Officers, and/or duly accredited Observers (who should be asked for their authorisation card – see Electoral Commission handbook).

Children are entitled to accompany voters in the Polling Station but may be ejected if causing disruption.

4.3 Summary of the Basic Voting Procedure

The majority of electors who come to your Polling Station will be eligible to vote and the voting process for them is very straightforward. This summary is based on the normal division of labour of Polling Station staff, but the duties are of course interchangeable.

(1) Greet the elector, ask for his/her name and address, and check the eligibility to vote (PC)

(2) Mark the Register against the number and name of the elector by placing a straight line through the elector’s number and name (PC)

(3) Call out the name and number of the elector (PC)

(4) Write the elector’s registration number including the polling district reference letters/number on the Corresponding Numbers List - Lilac (PO)

(5) Note that while most electors will have a single number of up to 4 digits e.g. 1234,as a result of rolling registration, additional electors may be added at a late date. To avoid disrupting the numerical order, these electors are allocated numbers e.g. 1234/100, 1234/200 etc. Both parts of the number must be entered on the Corresponding Numbers List

(6) Hand the paper to the elector. Note the printing of the Ballot Paper includes various security features and there is no need for the PO to apply an official mark (PO)

(7) After the elector has voted, check that the paper carries the official markings on the back

(8) Check that the voter puts nothing other than the Ballot Paper in the Ballot Box (PO)

(9) Say goodbye as voter leaves the Polling Station (PO & PC)

4.4 Stage 1 of the Voting Procedure – Checking and marking the register

Is the Voter in the correct Polling Station?

Please greet the voter as he/she approaches the table. If there are two or more Polling Stations in the Polling Place, please make sure that voters go to the correct one. There should be a sign at the entrance to the Polling place with a list of streets allocated to each station. Each Polling Station should have a sign displayed on the totem poll listing the streets/addresses served by that stations.

“Other Electors” (i.e. those who don’t fit neatly into the street lists) will normally appear at the end of the Register for the highest numbered station in the Polling Place. Check before telling an individual that he/she cannot vote.

Checking the register

Process for checking:

 Ask the elector his/her name and address and check to see if he/she is on the Register of Electors and eligible to vote. Even if a person hands in a poll card you MUST still ask and check the name and address (PC). This is particularly important where there are several people with similar names at the same address.

Be particularly careful with middle names. John Adolphus Smith could be listed as John Smith but John Smith (without a middle name)will not be listed as John A Smith. If you have both a John Smith and a John A Smith on the register and you mark John A Smith off on the register as John Smith, you have potentially created circumstances where John Smith could appear to be guilty of Personation if he subsequently comes in to vote.

Only people whose names are on the Register or their duly appointed proxies can vote. (But note the section below about Emergency Proxies)

 Read out the elector’s name and Electoral Registration Number (PC)

 Draw a straight line through the whole the whole Register entry in respect of that voter (electoral number, name and street number).

 If an elector’s name is scored off by mistake write “stet” against it in the register and proceed to mark off the correct elector. This can only be done immediately after the mistake has been made. When the elector marked off in error comes in to vote, score out the “stet”. Do not try to reconstruct mistakes after the voter has left the station.

A Note about Poll Cards.

Poll Cards are sent to voters shortly before the election to confirm that they are registered and provide details of their chosen voting method – in person at a polling station, by post or by proxy. They are NOT evidence of identity and you must always ask the voter to state his/her name and address, A Poll Card is, however, very useful in telling you at a glance whether the elector is a postal voter (yellow poll card), or in the correct Polling Station. It will also help you to find the correct entry in the register, particularly where the address is a complicated one. Any Poll Card which the voter does not want to take away should be kept and destroyed. They cannot be returned after the elector has left the Polling Station. There are no Data Protection implications involved in

destroying them – simply tear them across and put in the rubbish to be disposed of by the caretaker. While we do not have (and cannot get) recycling facilities, you should not remove them for recycling elsewhere.

Who is eligible to vote?

Most electors just have their name, electoral number and address shown in the Register. These electors are eligible to vote in any election.

However, some will have a letter or date between their number and surname. A letter indicates eligibility to vote in certain elections and a date indicates when they reach voting age. If the date on the Register is after the date of poll, the person must not be allowed to vote.

Note that the voting age for this poll has reverted to 18. Since it is so soon after the local elections, you may have to deal with disappointed 16 and 17 year olds. They are NOT eligible to vote.

The letter “A” against a voter’s name means that the voter has been issued with a postal vote and cannot under any circumstances be issued with a normal (white) Ballot Paper at the Polling Station. The names of these electors will also have been scored through on the Register which you have received, to confirm that a Ballot Paper has already been issued.

There are certain very limited circumstances in which you may have to issue a (pink) Tendered Ballot Paper – see later.

The letter “F” indicates an overseas elector who IS eligible to vote in this election. (Most are likely to have applied for postal votes, but some will have appointed proxies.)

The letter “K” signifies European Union citizens (other than UK, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta (all of whom are included in the normal franchise) who are NOT eligible to vote at this election.

The letter “L” signifies a peer who is eligible to vote in the House of Lords and is NOT eligible to vote in a Westminster Parliamentary Election and cannot therefore vote at this election.

The letter “G” signifies a European Union citizen who has chosen to retain the right to vote at European Parliamentary Elections in the state of his/her citizenship and is NOT eligible to vote at this election.

There are two other letters which very rarely appear against elector’s names and you are unlikely to encounter either of them. These are “E” and “U”.

“E” indicates an overseas elector who is also a peer who cannot vote at this election. “U”, indicates an EU citizen who has chosen to register for European elections but not local government elections. Again such an elector cannot vote.

Note that the fact that citizens of EU countries (other than Cyprus, Malta and the Republic of Ireland) are not included in the franchise has nothing to do with the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. It is a long standing legislative provision. Cyprus and Malta are Commonwealth countries and their citizens are entitled to vote in the same way as other Commonwealth citizens. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland are entitled to vote under the legislation relating to the creation of the Republic.

In very, very rare cases the letter “N” will appear against an elector’s number without any name in the “Other Electors” section at the end of the Register. This signifies an elector who for security reasons has been granted anonymous registration and to whom special arrangements apply – these are detailed later in this handbook. These are the only electors who must produce a poll card and the only electors who must not be asked to state name and address.

It is possible to get various combinations: If “A” appears with a date or letter which would otherwise entitle the individual to vote, his/her vote can only be cast using the postal pack already issued to him/her; if a date after polling day appears with a letter which would otherwise entitle the individual to vote, it is the date which rules and the individual cannot vote.

“P” against the elector’s name indicates that a proxy has been appointed (see later). In this case it is any letter other than “P” which determines eligibility. In rare cases someone may appear claiming to be a recently appointed “Emergency Proxy” for a voter. These proxies will not appear on the List of Proxies and you should contact the Electoral registration Officer to check the details. More details are given in a later section of this handbook. “A” and “P” indicates that the proxy has opted to vote by post and, as in any case where a postal vote has been issued, neither the elector nor the proxy can receive a ballot paper in the polling station.

4.5 Stage Two of the Voting Procedure – Issuing the Ballot Paper

If, subject to the above, a voter’s name is on the Register you cannot prevent him/her from voting. It is possible however, although extremely rare, that someone who is not qualified (e.g. a child) has got onto the Register by mistake and would commit an offence by voting. If such a lack of qualification is obvious you should draw the voter’s attention to this before issuing the Ballot Paper. If he/she still insists on voting you must allow it as the Register is conclusive as to the right to vote. The voter must, however, satisfactorily answer the prescribed

questions unaided and you should report the details to the Election Unit immediately with a view to prosecution.

A change of address since the Register was made up does not affect the right to vote although Rolling Registration means that changes of address will normally be picked up sooner. It is, however, the elector’s responsibility to notify the ERO of any change of address.. The Poll Card will have been sent to the address at which the elector is registered and it is this address which determines the Polling Station at which the elector is allowed to vote.

Trifling errors in the Register (e.g. spelling) do not affect the right to vote but pay particular attention to middle initials before accepting that someone saying that he is John Smith is the John A. Smith on the Register.

Issuing Ballot Papers – Normal Procedure

If the Presiding Officer is satisfied that the elector is on the Register of Electors and eligible to vote then the elector must be issued with a Ballot Paper.

 The Polling Clerk reads out the elector’s name, the polling district letter(s)/number(s) and elector number from the Register including any suffix e.g. 1234/100.  The Presiding Officer will write the Polling District Number and Elector’s Number on the Corresponding Numbers List, remove the Ballot Paper (carefully!) from the book and hand the Ballot Paper to the elector.

NB You must not write anything on the Ballot Paper itself. If you do, the vote is unlikely to be counted and the whole validity of the election may be challenged. You may be prosecuted for breach of statutory duty.

Why do I write the Elector’s Registration Number on the Corresponding Numbers List?

As you are aware, the elector’s number used to be written on the Ballot Paper counterfoil before the Ballot Paper was issued. Counterfoils have now been replaced by the Corresponding Numbers List (CNL) but the rationale for entering the elector’s number on the list remains the same. It is done to protect electors against fraud and allow for the investigation of cases where it is alleged that someone has “stolen” the elector’s vote. The CNL, the marked copy of the Register and used Ballot Papers are kept in official custody. The CNL and used Ballot Papers are only open to examination following a court order where there has been an allegation that an election offence has been committed. The CNL and used Ballot Papers are kept separate and in any event it would be a major task to identify any particular Ballot Paper from the thousands counted.

Why is the Ballot Paper not stamped?

Until a decade or so ago, the law required that the Presiding Officer stamp each Ballot Paper with the official mark before it was issued. This was to ensure that no-one could forge Ballot Papers and any paper turning up at the count which did not have the official mark was not counted. Ballot Papers are now printed with a number of sophisticated security features which are far more secure than the perforated mark and accordingly no stamping prior to issue is required. Each Ballot Paper is however, required to have a visible “Unique Identifying Mark” on the back which should be shown to the Presiding Officer before the elector puts the Ballot Paper in the box.

At this election the code letters and numbers on the back of the Ballot Paper constitute this mark.

Ensuring the secrecy of the ballot at all times is a paramount aspect of the electoral process. A copy of the relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983 forms Appendix 3 to this Manual.

What if a would-be voter does not appear on the Register

Check that the address is one allocated to your Polling Station. If not, redirect the voter to the appropriate station. This will be indicated on the voter’s Poll Card. It may be within the same Polling Place but, if in doubt contact the Electoral Registration Officer. It is possible for the ERO to correct errors in the Register, even on polling day. While most voters appear in street/address order there are certain “Other Voters” who appear at the end of the Register. Check this before saying that an individual is not registered.

What about Postal Voters?

Postal voters will appear on the Register but will have an “A” against their names and will be scored through to show that a ballot paper has already been issued. Their names will also appear on the Absent Voters’ List indicating the address to which the postal vote has been sent. Once a postal vote has been issued, the voter cannot, under any circumstances, be issued with a normal Ballot Paper at the Polling Station. A number of possible problems can arise from this:

 The simplest case is where the voter says he/she received a postal vote but has changed his/her mind and wants to vote in person at the Polling Station. In these circumstances the voter must be advised that you cannot issue a second Ballot Paper but there is no problem in the voter using the postal Ballot Paper and completing the Postal Vote Statement, putting them in the relevant envelopes and handing them to you for

transmission to the count. NB the whole postal vote paperwork must be completed; the voter cannot simply put the postal Ballot Paper in the Ballot Box.  If the voter says that he/she has received a postal Ballot Paper but has spoiled it and wants a replacement, direct him/her to the Election Unit. You cannot under any circumstances issue any sort of replacement paper (normal or Tendered) but a replacement for a spoiled paper can legally be issued if the voter attends in person with evidence of identity at the Election Office in the Town House prior to 5pm on Polling Day.  More difficult is the case where the voter insists that he/she has received a postal vote for which he/she did not apply. The probability in this case is that the voter has ticked the wrong box on the form sent out by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) since there are options to apply for a postal vote either for a particular Election or for all future Elections until further notice. The voter should be referred to the ERO to ensure that the matter is clarified for the future. In the meantime, however, the only way in which the voter can cast a vote which will be counted is to use the postal vote which has been issued. As above it is perfectly possible for the voter to hand in that vote at your (or any other) Polling Station. Note that the Postal Vote Statement which must accompany a returned postal vote no longer requires to be witnessed thereby removing the difficulty which postal voters wishing to use a postal vote at a Polling Station previously faced.  Where a voter in the Polling Station before 5pm says that he/she applied for a postal vote but has not received it, he/she should be directed to the Election Unit. It may be that the Postal Pack has been returned Royal Mail as undeliverable but, in any event, there is a procedure for the issue of a replacement of a postal pack up to 5pm on polling day. After 5pm no replacement can be issued and you should, if the voter insists, issue a Tendered Ballot Paper. Note, however, that like any other Tendered Ballot Paper it must not be placed in the Ballot Box, but in the envelope provided for that purpose and recorded on the Tendered Votes list. A Tendered Ballot Paper will not be counted and will only be looked at in the event that the election is challenged in court. In any case where a voter complains of receiving a postal vote for which he/she did not apply, or not receiving a postal vote for which he/she did apply, record the details on the log sheets provided for this purpose.  Most difficult of all is the case where there is an “A” on the Register but the voter is adamant that (a) he/she did not apply for a postal vote and (b) has not received a postal vote. Here an offence may have been committed by someone. You can issue a Tendered Ballot Paper in these circumstances at any time of the day (after getting satisfactory answers to the prescribed questions) but you must carefully log the details and should contact the Election Unit immediately. 

The Ballot Paper

There is a single white paper, which is to be marked with a cross against the name of one Candidate.

Stage Three of the Voting Procedure – Voting

A voter should mark his/her Ballot Paper in the privacy of the polling booth and fold it to conceal the vote. The voter should then show the official marks on the back of the folded Ballot Paper to the Presiding Officer or Polling Clerk and then place it in the Ballot Box.

What do I do if a Voter makes a mistake and spoils a Ballot Paper?

Do NOT issue a Tendered (pink) Ballot Paper

Sometimes voters do make mistakes, by marking against the ‘wrong’ Candidate. If a voter says that he/she has made a mistake, first take the spoilt Ballot Paper from him/her; write “cancelled” against the number of that Ballot Paper on the CNL, then issue a new ordinary Ballot Paper in the normal way, writing the elector’s number against that ballot paper on the CNL.

The PO should then take the spoilt paper and write “cancelled” on it. This should then be placed in the sack provided for unused and spoilt papers and NOT in the Ballot Box. At the close of poll remember to count and record the number of spoilt Ballot Papers on the Ballot Paper Account.

If a Ballot Paper is torn (either when removing it from the book or after it has been delivered to the voter) treat it as a spoilt paper as above. Do not try to repair it with sticky tape.

Once a Ballot Paper is in the box (or a marked Tendered Ballot Paper has been handed back to the PO) it is too late for the voter to change his/her mind.

4.7 The Security and Maintenance of the Polling Place

The PO is responsible for the security and maintenance of the Polling Station. Voters expect their Polling Place to be conducted in a calm and orderly manner so they can vote free from harassment, intimidation or undue influence.

The “Polling Place” is the building, e.g. a school, in which there may be a number of “Polling Stations”. A Polling Station is the room (or section of a hall) where votes are cast for a particular Polling District. While each PO is personally responsible for the conduct of his/her Polling Station, the Presiding Officer at the no. 1 station in any Polling Place has general oversight of the arrangements in

that Polling Place – in particular for controlling the activities of Tellers if they are admitted to the playground, for ensuring that no party posters are displayed within the Polling Place (including on cars parked within the playground – except those temporarily stopped to deposit voters) or on the outside walls/ railings of the Polling Place.

4.8 Security of the Polling Station – Keeping Order

The PO must maintain order in the Polling Station and has the power to order a person’s removal from the Polling Station. Persons entitled to vote at that Polling Station must nevertheless be allowed to vote before they are removed from the Polling Station.

The PO should call for a Police Officer (if available) to remove someone from the Polling Station (see later section on dealing with problems and special voting procedures) if they are disrupting the Polling Station. It is unlikely that a Police Officer will be allocated to your Polling Station for the whole hours of poll (although the Returning Officer and Chief Constable may arrange for this in exceptional circumstances). You will receive visits from Police Officers on mobile patrol at various times during the day and can summon assistance rapidly by dialling 101 or, in a serious emergency, 999.

A person who has been removed from the Polling Station may only be readmitted on the authority of the PO.

Local practice by mutual consent of the political parties and tolerated by the Returning Officer has allowed “Tellers” (i.e. representatives of Candidates who have no formal authority) to gather outside the door of the Polling Place rather than in the public road.

More detailed guidance on Tellers is provided below (section 14) but the essential point is that while the majority of Tellers are well behaved and their presence is accepted, and even expected, by voters, they can on rare occasions form an unruly mob which may intimidate voters. Indeed, large numbers, even if good natured, can be off-putting. The PO1 has absolute control of the precincts of the Polling Place and if the activities of Tellers are causing concern, or if there is a complaint by a voter or Agent, you must banish them all to the public road where they become a matter for the Police and not for you. Having said that, however, if what is going on in the street might deter voters, you should contact the Police and the Election Office. While it has never arisen in Aberdeen, there have been instances elsewhere of political activists trying to argue with polling staff about the boundaries of the Polling Place. In most cases these will be clear – a wall or fence, or the edge of

the pavement - but in case of doubt, it is the PO1’s reasonable ruling which prevails and this will, where necessary, be enforced by the Police.

4.9 Maintenance of the Polling Station

The PO should regularly check the Polling Station. It should be tidy and voters should have unimpeded access at all times.

As you inspect the premises you should:

 Check signs and notices. Replace or repair any damaged or defaced ones  Make sure the entrance to the Polling Station is not blocked  Instruct anyone who is campaigning in grounds of the Polling Place to leave  Make sure there is sufficient light for voters in the Polling Booths  Make sure that the pencils are still attached to the booths and still usable  Remove any paper in or around the booths particularly papers of a campaigning nature  Check the Ballot Box seals  Give the Ballot Boxes a shake or use a ruler to push the Ballot Papers down  Keep the Polling Station reasonably clean and tidy

5.0 THE CLOSE OF POLL

The poll must close at 10pm

 Make sure you close the doors to the Polling Station at exactly 10pm  Only those who have joined a queue before 10pm may vote. If there is a queue shortly before 10pm, check that those in the queue are all voters at your station: at 10pm take all those in the queue into the station and close the doors; these people may then vote in the usual way. No-one should be permitted to join a queue after 10pm. If, during the course of the evening, it appears that excessive queues are building up, or the turnout up to that time has been suspiciously low, contact the Election Unit for assistance  At 10pm the Polling Place should be cleared of everyone except Candidates; Election and Polling Agents; Returning Officer’s staff; on-duty Police Officers and Observers  The outside door should be closed  The PO must seal the slot in the Ballot Box (using a plastic seal) and any Candidate, Polling Agent or Election Agent present may affix a seal to it.  The Polling Clerk should take down all signs. The Election Unit will arrange for the Polling Station to be dismantled. Do not enter into

discussions with representatives of the owner of the premises as to when this might be – Details will have been provided to them in a letter from the Election Unit and cannot be altered.

5.1 The Paperwork

The Presiding Officer must account for all Ballot Papers received, issued and unused.

The paperwork is an essential aspect of the Presiding Officer’s statutory duties and failure to complete it properly can lead to prosecution.

The purpose of the paperwork is to ensure the integrity of the Election and to provide an “audit trail” proving how many Ballot Papers were issued and that they were only issued to voters who were entitled to them.

The Ballot Paper Account is compared with the number of Ballot Papers found in the Ballot Box when it is opened at the Count in the presence of Candidates and Agents. Any discrepancy between the number on the Ballot Paper Account and the number in the box calls for an explanation since it may suggest that someone has improperly added papers to, or removed papers from the box.

It is quite possible that you will not have needed to use some of the official forms during the day, nor to cancel any spoilt Ballot Papers. It is probable that you will not have required to issue any Tendered (pink) Ballot Papers. However, all forms must be completed, even if it means entering a ‘nil’ return where necessary.

 Use only the colour coded forms provided specifically for your station. Do not use any forms or envelopes in the Sundries Pack  Do not leave any form, or section of a form, blank  Do not forget to fill forms in with ‘nil’ returns if you have not needed them during the day  Do not forget to sign each of the forms where necessary

Official Forms to be completed by the Presiding Officer:

 Ballot Paper Account (BPA) (Blue)  List of Voters assisted by companions (White) (Declaration by companion (white) must be completed at time of voting)  List of Votes Marked by Presiding Officer (White)  Statement of the Number of Votes Marked by the Presiding Officer (White)  Tendered Votes List (White)  Polling Station Log (Green)

You may have duplicates of some of the forms but only one of each need be completed.

You will be provided with a colour coded chart showing the various envelopes and their contents:

 The Ballot Paper Account and envelope (Blue)  Unused and Spoilt Ballot Papers (both Ordinary and Tendered) – 1 small plastic sack. Note that it is particularly important to ensure that unused and spoilt Ballot Papers are sealed up in this sack. Loose Ballot Papers are a risk to the integrity of the election  Corresponding Numbers List (CNL) and Certificates of Employment (Lilac)  The Marked Copy of the Register of Electors and List of Proxies, Absent Voters List, Details of Emergency Proxies and Correction of Clerical Errors (Yellow)  (Brown) envelope for any Tendered Ballot Papers which you may have issued.  The (brown) envelope for: The List of Tendered Votes, Statement of the Number of Voters whose Votes were Marked by the Presiding Officer, List of Voters Assisted by Companions and Declarations made by Companions of Voters  Wallet for postal votes – Several of these may be provided and collected by RO staff during the day. The final one must be handed separately to the RO’s representative collecting the materials for the count.  List of returned postal votes, Incident forms and Polling station Log (green). Note that these green forms are intended for noting problems with the building, accidents etc. They are NOT to be used to note Emergency Proxies or Correction of Clerical Errors. There are specific (yellow) forms for these purposes which you must use (Green)

The Ballot Paper Account is the most important item of paperwork and should be filled in first.

Note that many of the details on the BPA are pre-printed. All you need to do is fill in the number of the next Ballot Paper to be issued, the number of spoilt papers, and do the arithmetic.

ALL paperwork EXCEPT THE BALLOT PAPER ACCOUNT and the last wallet for postal vote packs (black) should go in the sack. The Ballot Paper Account envelope should be handed separately to the member of the RO’s staff collecting the Ballot Box at close of poll.

5.2 The Ballot Paper Account

Proper completion of the Ballot Paper Account relies on an accurate counting of the number of Ballot Papers issued. This is why it is so important to issue Ballot Papers commencing with the lowest serial number rather than randomly during the day. If you use the books haphazardly, you will have great difficulty in filling out the Ballot Paper Account.

Complete the Ballot Paper Account carefully. We have tried to make it as simple as possible and pre-printed much of the information.

Remember to account for Tendered Ballot Papers on the same account form.

An example of a completed Ballot Paper Account is reproduced on the next page.

While accuracy is paramount in the paperwork and you should take time to make sure you get it right, you must be sufficiently confident of what you are doing to complete it fairly quickly after the close of poll – If you take too long you will delay the collection of boxes from other Polling Stations and the work at the Counting Centre. If you have a major problem the bus will not wait and you should contact the Election Unit to make special arrangements for the collection of your box.

BALLOT PAPER ACCOUNT UK PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION ABERDEEN NORTH CONSTITUENCY THURSDAY XTH MAY 20XX

Polling Place: Anytown Hall Station No: ZZ0101/1 Presiding Officer: A.N.Other

At the close of poll, the boxes marked with arrows () must be completed by the Presiding

Officer, then the form should be signed and dated.

Part 1 Ordinary ballot papers Total received by Presiding Officer 5 0 0 A (Numbered from 20,501 to 21,000) Serial number on the back of the next ballot paper  B to be issued 2 0 8 5 2 Serial number of the first ballot paper issued on the C 2 0 5 0 1 corresponding number list Total ballot papers issued D 3 5 1  (B – C) How many spoilt ballot papers did you issue E 2  replacements for? Total ballot papers issued and not spoilt F 3 4 9  (D – E)

G Total unused ballot papers (A – D) 1 4 9  Part 2 Tendered ballot papers (Pink)

Total received by Presiding Officer 2 0 (Numbered from 1 to 100) Total tendered ballot papers issued 1 

Total spoilt tendered ballot papers 0 

Total unused tendered ballot papers 1 9  Part 3 Ballot Box Seals

Numbers

Date …………………. Signature of Presiding Officer …………………..………

5.3 Packing Materials

Pack all materials into the correctly marked envelope and put everything except the Ballot Paper Account and final Wallet for Postal Votes into the sack: Note that there is a check list on the sack and you must initial against each item as you put it in. A coloured chart setting out the packing requirements will, as usual, be supplied

5.4 Transporting the Materials to the Counting Centre

Shortly after the close of poll a bus will call to collect the Ballot Box and stationery and take it to the Count Centre at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

You do not have to travel to the AECC to check your box in. There will be a member of the Returning Officer’s staff on the bus to receive the box and associated paperwork. While these members of staff will be able to answer any questions you may have, it is your personal responsibility to complete the paperwork accurately and seal it up in the manner prescribed by law.

If you do not complete it in the prescribed manner your box will not be accepted and you will be required to make your own arrangements to deliver it (with proper security) to the Count and to explain why you failed to comply with the statutory requirements.

While that may seem draconian, experience has shown that lack of care by Presiding Officers in completing the paperwork have a major impact on the timing and accuracy of the Count. Efforts have been made to simplify the task so that virtually everything which you need to return goes in the plastic sack. There will be label on the sack indicating what it should contain and you are required to initial the label against each item as you put it in.

We have also colour coded the items which may have to be located quickly at the count and the relevant envelopes for them. These are;

Ballot Paper Account – Light Blue Marked Register – Yellow Corresponding Numbers List – Lilac Polling Station Log – Green

All the other (white) forms (which are likely to be nil returns) go into brown envelopes which are clearly marked with their contents. The unused Ballot Papers go in the smaller plastic sack. Note that all envelopes must be sealed and signed.

You should not return the contents of the stationery sundries pack or the “Selector” device.

5.5 Problems

If there are immediate problems on the day you should contact the Election Unit, or a visiting representative of the Returning Officer. The Election Office (01224 523521) will be staffed from 06:00 until early evening on polling day when operations will move to the count centre. You should, therefore use the mobile ‘phone numbers for the Depute Returning officers after that time. Questions about the Register, postal votes and proxies should go to the Electoral Registration Office on 01224 664848. Only the ERO can determine whether a person is entitled to vote and whether an application for a postal vote or appointment of a proxy has been made. It simply wastes time to refer questions of this type to the Election Unit. On the other hand, questions about postal votes which have been issued and subsequently lost or spoiled, should go to the Election Unit.

Report any problems to the Election Unit after the election, on the Polling Station Log form (green) and by phone.

6.0 REGISTRATION PROBLEMS

6.1 Under Age but Registered Elector

Remember that, unlike the recent Local Government election, voting age for this election is 18 and the date on which a person achieves that age will be shown on the Register. As a result, it is possible that you will encounter a number of disgruntled would-be young voters: The rule is absolute: only those over 18 on polling day can vote. While it is very unlikely, it is just possible that, as a result of the change in qualification, a person who is under 18 and whose birthday is not indicated against his/her entry in the Register may have been registered by mistake. If it is fairly obvious that this could have happened, the individual must be issued with a Ballot Paper because the Register is conclusive but the applicant and/or accompanying adult should be warned that the “voter” will be guilty of an offence if he/she votes. Furthermore, before being issued with a Ballot Paper the under age voter must be asked the statutory questions by the Presiding Officer and the voter must answer them unaided (see paragraph on The Prescribed Questions below). If the voter does not answer the questions satisfactorily you must not issue a Ballot Paper. The Election Unit should subsequently be informed. The same reasoning applies where someone has thought it amusing to register a dog

or cat (it has happened!). In such cases a prosecution for a false declaration by the person completing the registration form is likely to follow.

6.2 Mis-spelt Names and Electors who have changed their Name

Sometimes you may find that a voter’s name has been mis-spelt or that he/she has legally changed his/her name since last completing the Electoral Registration Form, for example when someone marries and takes the name of the spouse or conversely has divorced or the spouse has died resulting in a reversion to a pre- marital name. If you are confronted by this problem you should ask the Prescribed Questions.

If the questions are answered correctly then the elector should be allowed to vote (assuming that there is no other reason for refusing a vote e.g. an “A” against the name). Note that “correctly” means that the individual answers “yes” to “are you the person……….?.” and “no” to “have you voted……….?” It does not mean that you believe the answers.

6.3 A person who is not on the Register of Electors in your Polling Station

Anyone who is not named on the Register of Electors must not be allowed to vote. There is one very slight exception to this in relation to electors who have been granted Anonymous Registration. There are very few of these – less than half a dozen in Aberdeen (and many of them are postal voters) – so it is highly unlikely that you will encounter one. In cases of anonymous registration there will be an elector’s number with no name but the letter “N”. Such voters will appear at the end of the Register among “Other Voters”. The voting procedure for an anonymous elector is exactly the same as for any other elector with two significant exceptions:  The voter MUST produce a Poll Card  You MUST NOT ask the voter to state his/her name and address.

Where the would-be elector is not on your Register, the most likely explanation is that he/she is registered to vote in a different Polling Station. You should ask to check the Poll Card if the voter has it. This will disclose the correct Polling Place. If the voter does not have a Poll Card then refer him/her to the Electoral Registration Officer.

Where a would-be elector is adamant that he/she has applied to be registered at a particular address which falls within your Polling District, but he/she does not appear on the register you should direct the elector to the Electoral Registration Officer. If the name was omitted from the Register as a result of an error on the

part of the ERO, it is possible for the ERO to correct the error on Polling Day. Details of corrections provided to you by the ERO should be recorded on the (yellow) form provided for that purpose.

Remember to check the “other electors” at the end of the Register before saying definitely that a person is not registered.

7.0 POSTAL AND PROXY VOTERS

7.1 Who are Postal and Proxy Voters?

Some electors may be unable to get to the Polling Station on Polling Day, and have applied to be treated as absent voters at the election. These people will have been granted the right to vote by post or by proxy. Electors who have chosen to vote by post (and electors whose proxies have chosen to vote by post) will have a letter “A” placed against the elector’s name in the Register to be used at the Polling Station to show that he/she is an absent voter and the entry in the Register will have been scored through. Such electors or proxies may not vote in person at the Polling Station.

It is competent for an absent voter to return a postal vote to a Polling Station (and need not do so in person).

You should accept such votes provided that:

(a) It relates to the Aberdeen North or the Aberdeen South constituency. We have no mechanism for transmitting postal votes for any other constituency to the appropriate count centre in time for it to be counted. (b) It is contained in an envelope identifying it as a postal vote for one of those two constituencies. Under no circumstances can you accept a loose Ballot Paper.

Postal votes received in this way should simply be placed unopened in the wallet provided for that purpose. They should not be put in the Ballot Box but you should, however, complete the form logging the number of postal votes returned (green). Note that the same rule applies to any part of a postal vote. Technically in returning a postal vote, the elector should put the completed Ballot Paper in envelope “A”, seal it, complete the Postal Vote Statement and put both in envelope “B” which is the return envelope for posting or handing in to a Polling Station. Some voters, however, through absent mindedness or because they think it is more secure, return the “A” envelope in the “B” envelope and the postal vote statement separately. You need not enquire what is in any envelope which is handed to you as a postal vote.

7.2 Procedures for Proxy Voters

A proxy is a person appointed by a voter to vote on his/her behalf. Such an appointment must be made formally by application to the Electoral registration Officer. It is not sufficient for the voter simply to hand over his/her poll card to someone else. You must check two entries – the Register to identify the voter and ensure that there is a “P” against the name and the List of Proxies to ensure that the would- be proxy is named as proxy for that elector. Both entries should be scored through to indicate that the proxy has voted.. It is the elector’s number which is entered on the Corresponding Numbers List. Note that a proxy will also have an official poll card on behalf of the elector naming him/her as the proxy (but need not produce it).

A person can act as a proxy at an Election for no more than two electors of whom he/she is not an immediate family member. Where a person who has been appointed to act as a proxy to vote for more than one elector applies to exercise the electors’ vote/s, the proxy should only be given one Ballot Paper at a time.

Please remember that you may only issue Ballot Papers for electors who are eligible to vote in the election.

Proxies can be challenged in the same way that an ordinary voter may be if they are suspected of Personation and if this happens please ask the relevant Prescribed Questions (see below).

If a person acting as a proxy is also an elector at your Polling Station, he/she is entitled to cast his/her own vote in the usual way and this does not affect the right to act as a proxy for two electors.

It is now possible for an elector who, after the normal deadlines for arranging postal or proxy votes have expired, finds that he/she is unable, for unforeseeable medical or business reasons, to go to the polling station, to appoint an emergency proxy even on Polling Day. Like all proxies, this must be arranged through the ERO. By definition, however, these proxies will not be listed on the List of Proxies. For those notified to us prior to polling day, we will provide details with the Ballot Box. Others will be passed to you by the Polling Station Inspector. It is, however quite possible that a recently appointed proxy to turn up before you have official notification. In such circumstances, you obviously cannot simply take the would-be proxy’s word for it, nor should you simply refuse to issue a ballot paper. You must check the details with the ERO and, if you are advised that the appointment is in order, you should record the details on the (yellow) form provided for that purpose and issue a white ballot paper in the usual way. As always, it is the elector’s number which you enter on the CNL.

7.3 What if the Elector turns up to vote instead of the Proxy?

Sometimes the person who has appointed a proxy turns up to vote in person. If this happens you must allow the elector to vote provided the proxy has not already voted for him/her. You should mark the Register in the usual way, but not the List of Proxies. If the Proxy then turns up later he/she must not be allowed to vote as a proxy for the elector.

8.0 PERSONATION OF A VOTER

There may be rare occasions when a member of the Polling Station team or another voter or a Candidate or their Polling Agent suspect that the person requesting a Ballot Paper is not who he/she claims to be. This is a specialised form of fraud known as “personation” and is a criminal offence, carrying severe penalties. Remember that an elector is not guilty of personation if he/she applies for a Ballot Paper by a name, which is not his/her own, but is the name under which he/she has been registered – for example, a married woman may adopt her husband’s name for some purposes and retain her own for others. She can legally register under either name, but not both.

Presiding Officers have no right to interrogate a person if they suspect an instance of personation. You may only ask the questions prescribed by law (see section on Prescribed Questions below). The Prescribed Questions must be put to the would-be voter before he/she is issued with a Ballot Paper, and not afterwards.

While the Presiding Officer will normally ask the prescribed questions, there is no prohibition on a Polling Clerk doing so. The Questions are asked to determine whether the applicant is the person who appears on the Register of Electors (or List of Proxies if he/she is voting as a proxy for someone else), and whether he/she has voted in the election (or on behalf of that voter if he/she is acting as proxy). They are the ONLY way of doing so: you DO NOT have the right to ask for evidence of identity and you are not entitled to play detective.

If the person answers the questions satisfactorily then you must issue him/her with a Ballot Paper. “Satisfactorily” means that you get the answer “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second one. It DOES NOT mean that you believe the answers.

Any case of suspected personation should be noted immediately in the Polling Station log (green) and notified to the Election Unit.

9.0 THE PROCEDURE FOR TENDERED BALLOT PAPERS

There may be very rare occasions when a person not entitled to vote by post applies for a Ballot Paper, either to vote on his/her own behalf or as a proxy and, on checking the Register, you find that the elector is scored off as having already voted. On the assumption that you have not made a mistake in issuing the previous ballot paper, the implication is that it is a case of fraud, actual, or attempted: either the person who voted previously has “stolen” the elector’s vote, or the person before you is attempting to do so. It is not for you to play detective to try to determine which. The Tendered Ballot Paper procedure must be followed. This applies where:

 An elector has already been marked off on the Register as having voted i.e. someone else (other than a proxy) seems to have voted for him/her.  A proxy has already been marked off on the List of Proxies and the elector marked off on the Register i.e. another person seems to have impersonated the proxy and voted for the elector.  A proxy insists that the elector has not voted after his/her application to cast a vote as a proxy has been rejected because the Electoral Register indicates that the elector has voted in person (the List of Proxies in this case would not be marked).

The Presiding Officer should check the entry on the Register of Electors to make sure no mistake has been made. Once this has been confirmed the Presiding Officer must ask the prescribed questions (see below).

If the elector or proxy answers the Prescribed Questions satisfactorily then the Presiding Officer must issue a Tendered Ballot Paper – the voter must not be given an ordinary Ballot Paper. The Tendered Ballot Paper is pink.

There is no Corresponding Numbers List for tendered ballot papers.

The Presiding Officer should hand the Ballot Paper to the voter, ask the voter to vote in secret, fold the Ballot Paper and return it to the Presiding Officer.

A Tendered Ballot Paper must never be placed in the Ballot Box.

The Presiding Officer should then take the folded Tendered Ballot Paper and endorse it with the name of the voter together with his/her elector’s number, including the polling district letter(s)/number(s) and place it in the relevant official (brown) envelope. This is the only occasion on which you should write anything on a Ballot Paper.

The Tendered Votes List must also be completed

10.0 A CHALLENGE AGAINST A VOTER BY A POLLING AGENT OR CANDIDATE

If a Candidate or an Election or Polling Agent alleges that a person applying for a Ballot Paper is guilty of personation and undertakes to substantiate that charge in a court of law a Police Officer does not need a warrant to arrest the person. However, the person should not be prevented from voting.

The Presiding Officer will, of course, have to make a statement. In fact, if a Police Officer has to arrest anyone in a Polling Station then a statement will be required. The Presiding Officer’s statement should include:

 The name and description of the person arrested as so given  The offence with which the person is charged (you don’t need to use technical legal terminology – “attempting to vote in a false name” will do.  The name of the person who made the complaint and whether that person is the Presiding Officer, a Polling Clerk, an Election or Polling Agent, a Candidate or a Police Officer  The grounds on which the charge is made  Any other remarks the Presiding Officer may wish to offer.  11.0 THE PRESCRIBED QUESTIONS

In addition to the circumstances mentioned in previous sections, the prescribed questions MUST be asked and answered unaided of a person purporting to be a proxy if:

 You suspect that person of personation  A Candidate or an Election or Polling Agent requires you to do so,  You suspect the person may be unable to understand what they have to do through drink or drugs. It is, however a fine line between this and someone with learning difficulties. An individual with learning difficulties is entitled to vote and will often be assisted by a companion. To ask the prescribed questions unnecessarily may risk further confusing the elector and it is suggested that you should only do so if you have serious grounds for believing that someone is taking advantage of the individual to commit an offence.  The person is claiming to be a proxy whose name has already been marked off on the List of Proxies and the elector’s name on the Electoral Register has been marked i.e. another person seems to have impersonated the proxy and voted for the elector  A proxy insists that the elector has not voted after his/her application to cast a vote as a proxy has been rejected because the Electoral Register indicates

that the elector has voted in person (the List of Proxies in this case would not be marked)  You suspect that a proxy has applied to vote for more than two electors to whom they are not related (even if they hold proxy appointments for such electors)

The questions for use in each type of circumstance are set out in Appendix 2 to this booklet.

The Presiding Officer must issue a Ballot Paper to anyone who has answered the questions correctly, even if you suspect they have lied. A person who refuses to answer cannot be issued with a Ballot Paper and you should advise the Election Office. If that person returns later, the Presiding Officer must again ask the Prescribed Questions.

12.0 PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO VOTERS

Your primary function is to make the voting process as easy as possible for voters while ensuring that only those entitled to vote do so. It goes without saying that you should explain the voting process to any voter who asks. There are, however, certain categories of voter who may require particular assistance.

These are:

 Voters with visual disability  Voters with some other type of disability, which prevents him/her from reading or marking the Ballot Paper  Voters who are unable to read

Voters with a visual disability have 3 options open to them:

(1) They can record their vote using the “Selector” device, which is included with your Polling Station equipment. Full instructions are included in the package.

You should attach the device to the Ballot Paper, making sure that it is precisely aligned and then read to the voter each Candidate’s name, and description on the Ballot Paper in the order in which they appear. Candidates are no longer numbered on the Ballot Paper, so, in effect, you should say, “Flap one is for for Nancy Blackett of the Amazon Party: flap two for Roger Walker of the Swallow Party etc.”

The voter then takes the paper to the voting compartment, opens the numbered flap for the Candidate of his/her choice and marks the paper. The elector (or you) then removes the selector device and puts the paper in the Ballot Box. Numbers on the device are shown in Braille and large raised figures.

(2) They can request that the Presiding Officer mark the paper in accordance with their instructions.

The Polling Station should be cleared of other electors but not Candidates/Election Agents/Polling Agents/Observers, who are entitled to observe that the paper is marked in accordance with the voter’s instructions. If the voter is unsure of for whom he/she wishes to vote for, the Presiding Officer must read out the names of the Candidates and the descriptions in the order they appear on the Ballot Paper. Once the voter has made a decision the Presiding Officer must put a cross against the chosen Candidate on the Ballot Paper.

In some cases such voters will arrive at the Polling Station with a card on which their chosen Candidate is already marked. This may be accepted as indicating a preference for the marking of the Ballot Paper so long as the voter makes it clear that that is how the vote should be marked.

If the Presiding Officer has to mark Ballot Papers for a voter then you must fill out the official form – “List of Votes Marked by the Presiding Officer”.

In the very rare circumstance that a person who cannot read the Ballot Paper is a proxy for another elector, please make sure that you enter the elector’s registration number not the proxy’s. (A proxy with a visual disability is, of course, entitled to use the Selector device).

The Presiding Officer should sign the “List of Voters Marked by the Presiding Officer” at the close of poll and should fill out the “Statement of the Number of Votes Marked by the Presiding Officer”.

(30 They can vote with the assistance of a companion. The voter’s companion must be either a close relative (father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, civil partner, son or daughter if they are over 18 years of age) or a qualified voter. The voter must ask the permission of the Presiding Officer to be assisted by their companion. This should not normally be refused.

The companion must fill out a simple declaration – “Declaration to be Made by the Companion of a Voter” Usually the Presiding Officer or a Polling Clerk will fill out the declaration and ask him/her to check the information and to sign the document.

Their names should be added to the “List of Voters Assisted by a Companion” by the Presiding Officer. This can either be done at the time, if convenient, or at the close of poll.

If the person is a proxy for another voter then please make sure that you fill in the elector’s Electoral Registration Number rather than the proxy’s.

12.1 Assistance to Voters Unable to Gain Access to the Polling Place

If a person is making a genuine attempt to enter a Polling Place but is unable to do so because of physical incapacity the Presiding Officer, after informing any Agents present, may take the Ballot Paper out to the voter. After completion by the voter the Presiding Officer must place it immediately in the appropriate Ballot Box.

It should be stressed and ensured that the secrecy of the vote is maintained.

Remember that the Ballot Box should not be left unattended and must not be taken out of the Polling Station.

If you have to invoke this paragraph, please inform the Election Unit so that arrangements can be improved for future elections.

Attempts have been made to make all Polling Places accessible but it must be remembered that the Returning Officer, has to use buildings belonging to other organisations. These may not be ideal but may be the only premises available in the area. Ramps have been provided where necessary. In some cases the ramped entrance is to an emergency door rather than the main door and you should ensure that it is properly signposted and easy to use.

12.2 Voters with Hearing Impairment

Every Polling Place (as opposed to Polling Station) will have an Induction Loop which will assist hearing aid users who can tune their hearing aid to the “T” setting. Full instructions are provided with the device.

12.3 Certificates of Employment

Some people (Police Officers and Polling Station staff) are entitled to vote at a Polling Station other then their prescribed one, so long as they have a Certificate of Employment. This certificate must be signed by a Police Officer of the rank of Inspector or above, or by the Returning Officer (or Depute), as the case may be.

Note that a Certificate of Employment is only available for voting at another Polling Station within the same Constituency. If you are allocated to a Polling Station outwith your own Constituency, you will need to arrange a postal or proxy vote. As we may need to redeploy staff at short notice, you are advised to arrange a postal or proxy vote.

The Certificate stands in place of an entry in the Register and it is the Elector’s number from the Certificate which is entered on the CNL. The Certificate must be retained by the Presiding officer and (being printed on lilac paper) put in the envelope with the CNL at close of poll.

13.1 Disorder

The Police will be informed of the location of Polling Stations by the Returning Officer. Some Police Officers will be assigned election duties. While it is unlikely that a Police Officer will be in attendance at your Polling Station throughout the hours of poll, you will receive visits at various times during the day.

If there is disorder at the Polling Station during the day, contact the Election Unit and inform them of the situation. If necessary, call the Police to deal with the problem -dial 101, or in an emergency, 999.

13.2 Serious Disorder

In the event of serious disturbance – bomb scares or riot etc – the Police may ask the Presiding Officer to vacate the premises. If you have been asked by police to leave the building then you must do so and you should contact the Election Unit as soon as possible. If possible try to operate the Polling Station from a safe place in the neighbourhood – the back of a car etc.

In the most extreme case the Returning Officer may permit the Presiding Officer to adjourn the poll until the subsequent day.

DO NOT ADJOURN THE POLL ON YOUR OWN INITIATIVE

If the poll is adjourned then the Returning Officer will arrange for your election materials to be collected.

13.3 Emergencies

You should never put the voters or other persons in the Polling Station at risk of death or injury. But if it is clear that there is no immediate risk, then gather up all sensitive election materials – the Ballot Box, Ballot Papers, Electoral Register, etc – and take them with you.

If you are forced to leave the premises, but have been able to take the essential election materials with you, you should try to establish a temporary Polling Station nearby in order to avoid turning voters away. If you are unable to return to the original premises take instructions from the Election Unit. Regardless of any interruption in polling you must nevertheless still close the Polling Station at 10pm.

14.0 TELLERS

Political Parties usually ask their members and supporters to act as Polling Station Tellers. Telling is a vital part of a Political Party’s efforts to identify likely supporters who have not voted so that they can urge them to vote before the close of poll. Most Tellers are volunteers and generally behave well. However, disputes can arise over Tellers and their activities.

Tellers have no legal status and are not allowed to enter the Polling Station except to record their own votes or to vote as proxy for an elector. Strictly speaking, they have no right to be any closer than the public road. By mutual agreement and tolerance by the Returning Officer, it has long been the practice in Aberdeen that they can congregate at the door of the Polling Place rather than at the gate to the playground.

In general, Tellers should not:  Be allowed in or near the Polling Station. They must not be able to hear what is going on in the Polling Station  Obstruct voters’ access to the Polling Station  Canvass, campaign or wear any sticker, rosette, colour etc urging voters to vote for a specific Candidate  Ask voters for their registration number or address on their way in – that may be asked on the way out – the voter has no obligation to answer  Ask how the voter has voted  Ask voters to re-enter the Polling Station to request their Poll Card. While voters are entitled to take their Poll Card away with them, if they don’t you should destroy it  Be aggressive  Park cars emblazoned with the name of their individual Candidate or Political Party within the Polling Place  Distribute any Political Party materials or propaganda within the Polling Place

The Presiding Officer should check on their activities from time to time and make sure that they do not block the entrance or hinder or harass voters entering the Polling Stations.

Contravention of any of the above, or any objection by any Candidate/Agent would entitle you to banish all Tellers from the precincts of the Polling Place. They have no right to be any closer than the public road.

15.0 THE MEDIA AND EXIT POLLS

The media have no special rights to enter a Polling Station except as voters. They must not be allowed to film or interview voters in the Polling Station. In particular Candidates who may be registered voters at your Polling Station are not permitted to stage a media event when they are voting. If a film crew has been given permission by the Returning Officer to film outside the Polling Station but within the Polling Place, please make sure that they do not hinder or harass voters on their way to vote nor obstruct the entrance to the Polling Station.

It is unlikely that such permission will have been given – if a film crew/photographer turns up check with the Election Unit.

It is common for exit polls to be published minutes after the close of

poll attempting to predict the result of the election. These are usually commissioned by media organisations or academic researchers from companies such as MORI, ICM or NOP. It is possible that one of these companies will be commissioned to conduct sampling at Polling Stations in Aberdeen. Customarily, and as a matter of courtesy, the pollsters contact the Returning Officer before Polling Day. It is hoped therefore that the Election Unit will be able to forewarn the Presiding Officer if one of the polling companies intends to conduct an exit poll outside your Polling Station. If that is the case, please make sure that the polling company’s interviewers do not enter the Polling Place. In effect the interviewers should be treated as if they were Tellers.

Appendix 1 – Requirement of secrecy.

Representation of the People Act 1983

Section 66 (as amended):

(1) The following persons – (a) every returning officer and every presiding officer or clerk attending at a polling station, (b) every candidate or election agent so attending (c) every person so attending by virtue of any of sections 6A to 6D of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of voting and shall not except for some purpose authorised by law, communicate to any person before the poll is closed any information as to –

(i) the name of any elector or proxy for an elector who has or has not applied for a ballot paper or voted at a polling station; (ii) the number on the register of electors of any elector who, or whose proxy, has or has not applied for a ballot paper or voted at a polling station; or (iii) the official mark.

[…] (3) No person shall – (a) interfere with or attempt to interfere with a voter when recording his vote; (b) otherwise obtain or attempt to obtain in a polling station information as to the candidate for whom a voter in that station is about to vote or has voted; (c) communicate at any time to any person any information obtained in a polling station as to the candidate for whom a voter in that station is about to vote or has voted, or as to the

number or other unique identifying mark on the back of the ballot paper given to a voter at that station; (d) directly or indirectly induce a voter to display his ballot paper after he has marked it so as to make known to any person the name of the candidate for whom he has or has not voted.

[…]

(5)No person having undertaken to assist a blind voter to vote shall communicate at any time to any person any information as to the candidate for whom the voter intends to vote or has voted, or as to the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of the ballot paper given for the use of that voter

(6)If a person acts in contravention of this section he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months.

Appendix 2 – The prescribed questions

The prescribed questions are your only means of clarifying the identity of a would-be elector. You do not have any right to ask for production of any identity document e.g. passport.

While you are entitled to put the questions to any elector, you should normally limit this to the cases where you are required by law to ask them.

Note that a question is answered satisfactorily if you receive the answer required by law: whether you believe the answer is irrelevant.

These are as follows:

 An elector (who has not appointed a proxy) applies for a ballot paper but the register of electors shows that he/she has already voted. In this case, even if the questions are answered satisfactorily, the elector is only entitled to a tendered ballot paper.  A proxy voter’s entry on the list of proxies has already been marked and the entry of the elector on the register of electors has also been marked. Upon satisfactorily answering the questions, the elector or proxy is only entitled to a tendered ballot paper.  A proxy voter returns to the polling station after his/her application to cast a vote as a proxy has been rejected because the register of electors indicates that the voter has voted in person (the list of proxies in this case would not be marked), and insists that the elector has not voted. If the questions are answered satisfactorily, he/she is entitled to a tendered ballot paper.  An elector states that his/her name is not as shown in the register of electors. If, in response to the prescribed questions, the elector can confirm that the register entry refers to him/her, an ordinary ballot paper can be issued. This will normally apply in relation to shortened names e.g. someone saying her name is Billie while the name on the Register is Wilhelmina, or where the first name is the same but the surname has changed through marriage or divorce. While if you get satisfactorily answers to the questions, you cannot refuse a ballot paper, you should be wary where the name is very different or the would-be voter is male and the name on the Register appears to be female or (vice versa) and you should record the circumstances in the Polling Station Log.  Polling station staff suspect an elector or a proxy of personation. If, in response to the prescribed questions, the elector can confirm that the register entry refers to him/her, an ordinary ballot paper can be issued.  A candidate or an election or Polling Agent requires the questions to be asked where none of the circumstances previously mentioned appear to apply. If the prescribed questions are answered satisfactorily, an ordinary ballot paper can be issued.  Polling station staff suspect the person may be incapacitated due to alcohol or drugs or for some other reason. If the prescribed questions are answered satisfactorily, an ordinary ballot paper can be issued.  The elector is registered as eligible to vote but is clearly under age (or is a dog or cat or an inanimate object). If the prescribed questions are answered satisfactorily,

unaided an ordinary ballot paper must be issued but you should record the circumstances for possible criminal proceedings.  An elector’s (or a proxy’s) name appears on the postal voter’s list (or postal proxy voters list) but he/she states that he/she did not apply to vote by post. If the elector (or proxy) answers the questions satisfactorily, a tendered ballot paper should be issued at any time.  An elector (or proxy) whose name appears on the postal voters list (or proxy postal voters list), arrives at the polling station after 5pm on polling day and claims to have lost, spoilt or not received a postal ballot paper. If the questions are answered satisfactorily, the elector (or proxy) will be entitled to a tendered ballot paper only. Before 5pm the voter should be referred to the Election Unit as a replacement paper can be issued.

NO INQUIRY MAY BE MADE AS TO THE RIGHT OF ANY PERSON TO VOTE, OTHER THAN THE STATUTORY QUESTIONS.

The Presiding Officer regardless of any doubt that he/she may have, must issue an ordinary or tendered ballot paper, as appropriate, to anyone who has answered the questions correctly. If a person refuses to answer the questions no ballot paper of any type can be issued. If that person returns later, then the Presiding Officer must again ask them the prescribed questions.

The prescribed questions to be asked of a person applying to vote as an elector

‘Are you the person registered in the register of parliamentary electors for this election as follows (read out loud the whole entry from the register)?’

If the answer is ‘no’ do not issue a ballot paper. If the answer is ‘yes’, ask:

‘Have you already voted here or elsewhere at this election otherwise than as proxy for some other person?’

If the answer is ‘yes’ to this question, do not issue a ballot paper. If the person has answered ‘yes’ to the first question and ‘no’ to the second question then an ordinary or tendered ballot paper must be issued as appropriate.

The prescribed questions to be asked of a person applying to vote as a proxy (but not on behalf of an elector with an anonymous entry)

‘Are you the person whose name appears as (read out the name that appears in the list of proxies) in the list of proxies for this election as entitled to vote as proxy on behalf of (read out the name of the elector on the register of electors)?’

If the answer is ‘no’, do not issue a ballot paper. If the answer is ‘yes’, ask:

‘Have you already voted here or elsewhere at this election, as proxy on behalf of (read out the name of the elector on the register)?’

If the answer is ‘yes’ to this question, a ballot paper must not be issued. If the answer is ‘no’, an ordinary or tendered ballot paper may be issued as appropriate.

However, the Presiding Officer may, and if required to do so by any candidate, election agent or polling agent, must put a further question:

‘Are you the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of the person whose number on the register of electors is (read out the number of the elector on the register)?’

If the answer to this question is ‘yes’ (and the questions above have been answered satisfactorily), an ordinary or tendered ballot paper must be issued as appropriate.

If, however, the answer is ‘no’, ask:

‘Have you already at this election already voted in this constituency on behalf of two persons of whom you are not the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild?’

If the answer to this question is ‘yes’, then do not issue a ballot paper. If the answer is ‘no’ (and the questions above have been answered satisfactorily), then an ordinary or tendered ballot paper must be issued as appropriate.

The prescribed questions to be asked of a person applying to vote in person when he/she is shown on the register as a postal voter

These prescribed questions are for electors shown on the register as postal voters but who claim either to have not applied to vote by post or who present themselves at the polling station after 5pm on polling day and claim to have lost or not received their postal ballot papers are as follows:

‘Did you apply to vote by post?’

If the answer is ‘no’, a tendered ballot paper must be issued.

If the answer to this question is ‘yes’, ask:

‘Why have you not voted by post?’

If the question is answered satisfactorily, the Presiding Officer should record the reason and issue a tendered ballot paper.

If, however, the elector says that they have not voted by post because they have lost or not received (all or any part of) their postal ballot pack, a tendered ballot paper can only be issued after 5pm.

The prescribed questions to be asked of a person applying to vote as a proxy when he/she is shown as having been issued with a postal proxy ballot paper

The prescribed questions for proxies named on the proxy postal voters list but who claim either to have not applied to vote by post or who present themselves at the polling station after 5pm on polling day and claim to have lost or not received their postal ballot papers are as follows:

‘Did you apply to vote by post as proxy?’

If the answer is ‘no’, a tendered ballot paper must be issued. If the answer to this question is ‘yes’, ask:

‘Why have you not voted by post as proxy?’

If the question is answered satisfactorily, the Presiding Officer should record the reason and issue a tendered ballot paper.

If, however, the proxy says that he/she has not voted by post because he/she has lost or not received (all or any part of) the postal ballot pack, a tendered ballot paper can only be issued after 5pm.

ELECTION OFFICE - 01224 523521 Name Post Office Number Mobile Number Depute David Gow 01224 523501 07919 113145 Returning Officer Depute Crawford Langley 01224 523501 07919 113634 Returning Officer Steven Depute 01224 523501 07919 113606 Dongworth Returning Officer

Electoral Registration Office 01224 664848

(For Polling Staff only to call to confirm emergency proxies – 01224 664763.)

Police, if required 101 (Non-Emergency) In an emergency call 999