GENERAL ELECTION 2019: A look behind the scenes of the election process in Newark and Sherwood
Today is polling day in the 2019 General Election when voters in the Newark and Sherwood constituencies go to the ballot box.
For many of us the extent of our involvement is a simple case of ensuring that you are registered, receiving your polling card and popping down to the polling station to vote.
But for Newark and Sherwood District Council, when MPs voted to trigger an election at the end of October, it was not even the start of the process.
Here is how it unfolds:
Registration:
In the weeks before the election was called, council canvassers were out on the streets and lanes of the district, for strictly non-party political purposes, ensuring all those eligible to vote were registered.
Although it is not compulsory to vote, everybody over the age of 18 must be on the register.
The election was called toward the end of the annual canvass process, but there was still time to register to vote and the council’s elections office saw a huge spike in enquiries and registrations.
Notice of election:
The deadline is set out according to the statutory election timetable.
When the writ for the election — an order from the Queen to hold the poll — is issued notices of election must be published.
Nominations:
Once the notice is published, there is a deadline for nominations for prospective candidates.
There are strict laws regarding how political parties and candidates run their campaigns and the council’s elections team, which receives the nomination papers, ensures that they are fully briefed.
Staffing:
There is a whole raft of work on election day and the council has to recruit polling station inspectors and staff, including presiding officers, poll clerks and count venue staff.
All appointed polling station staff undergo rigorous training and testing.
In addition, the team recruits staff required for the counting of votes.
Venue hire:
As well as the two count venues — Newark Sports and Fitness Centre and the Dukeries Leisure Centre — there is the small matter of hiring around 100 venues, including community centres, pubs, churches, village halls and schools, for polling stations.
Newark constituency includes parts of Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe, whose councils manage the polling stations on the district council’s behalf, while the Sherwood constituency includes parts of Gedling and Ashfield.
This involves cross- boundary agreement between elections teams on managing the poll, which Newark and Sherwood coordinates.
Equipment/furniture:
Polling booths, ballot boxes and signage are stored at a facility in Southwell and staff from the council’s transport team need to despatch polling booths to all the polling places.
Stationery/printing:
Around 85,000 poll cards need to be printed that are sent to all those registered following the publication of the Notice of Election.
Approximately 17,000 postal votes are also sent out to those who have requested them.
Ballot papers are also printed by a specialist printer and these are checked by the elections team before being distributed to presiding officers when they collect the ballot boxes.
Bespoke signage for polling stations is printed, with spare stationery given to schools to be re-used.
Postal voting:
Votes cast by postal voters are opened once received and checked to ensure against electoral fraud. These are securely stored and added to ballot papers at the count.
Proxy voting:
Voters unable to attend the polling station for any reason can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.
These need to be applied for in advance and details are included of all proxy voters, which are checked off by polling station staff.
Ballot boxes:
For convenience on collection, these initially contain all the stationery and equipment that polling station staff need, but are completely empty when the box is sealed.
There are 110 ballot boxes that were collected on the eve of poll by the presiding officers — 77 for the Newark constituency and 33 for Sherwood.
They were all sealed shortly before 7am this morning and are currently sitting in stations across the district before being returned to the count venues after 10pm.
Day of poll:
The elections office fields queries from voters, processing emergency proxies, re-issuing postal votes, ensuring voters go to the correct polling stations and that stations are opened on time.
These are inspected by a team of inspectors who also collect postal votes handed in to station staff.
The count:
Preparations for the count include ensuring that each venue has the relevant equipment.
At the count staff include counters, supervisors and a control table.
The count is overseen by the acting returning officer (at Newark) and deputy acting returning officer (Sherwood).
Votes are first verified, which means checking the number of papers in a ballot box matches the number issued in the polling station.
Declaration of results:
Provisional results are shared with candidates and their agents before being declared by the acting returning officer, at which point the candidates may request a recount.
Candidates who poll less than 5% of the votes cast will lose their £500 deposit.
Once the result is declared, this is legal confirmation of the constituency’s new MP.
Publication of expenses:
Each election agent needs to submit expenses returns, which show how much they have spent on their campaign.
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