Briefing for campaigners Arrangements for the referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections

The Aim To provide an overview of: Roles at the referendum Referendum campaigning Referendum processes After the poll Campaigners’ expenses

Who does what? The Chief Counting Officer –Electoral Commission The Counting Officer –Local voting area Contact details for the Counting Officer and his staff - Phone: -

Who does what? The role of agents Referendum agent –Postal voting agents –Polling agents –Count agents The process for appointing agents Deadlines for appointment

Referendum timetable Publication of notice of referendumNot later than Friday 25 March 2011 Notification of appointment of referendum agents Noon on Thursday 7 April 2011 Publication of notice of pollFriday 8 April 2011 Deadline for receipt of absent vote applications and for changes to existing postal or proxy votes 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2011 Registration deadlineEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland - Thursday 14 April 2011 Scotland – 15 April 2011 Deadline for new applications to vote by proxy (not postal proxy) 5pm Thursday 21 April 2011

Referendum timetable Deadline for notification of appointment of polling and counting agents Tuesday 26 April 2011 Polling dayThursday 5 May 2011 – 7am to 10pm Deadline to apply for new applications to vote by proxy on grounds of medical emergency 5pm on Thursday 5 May 2011 Replacement for lost/spoilt postal votes ends 5pm on Thursday 5 May 2011 Alterations to register to correct clerical error 9pm on Thursday 5 May 2011

Who can vote? Referendum franchise Deadline to register to vote [delete text as appropriate] –England, Wales and Northern Ireland - 14 April 2011 –Scotland - 15 April 2011 Poll cards

The campaign - Available resources Supply of electoral register and absent voters lists Restricted use of schools and rooms for public meetings Postal voting and the code of conduct on handling postal votes

The campaign (cont’d) Campaign material -Imprints -Restrictions and offences Reporting alleged offences during the campaign

Referendum processes - Postal voting Postal voting system - personal identifiers Arrangements for postal vote opening sessions [include local arrangements] Code of conduct

Referendum processes - The poll Polling stations open from 7am – 10pm Elections office open xam to xpm (Any queries relating to regulatory issues or queries about campaign literature please contact the Electoral Commission) Polling station inspectors and their remit Tellers Polling agents

Referendum processes - The count The count –Location xx –Time xx Ensure appointments for Counting agents are submitted by deadline Declaration of the result

After the poll Inspection and supply of marked register and absent voters lists – Data copy: £10 plus £1 per 1,000 entries or any part thereof. Printed copy: £10 plus £2 per 1,000 copies or part thereof Campaign spending returns: – the date by which you must report depends on how much was spent on your campaign – £250k or below? – report within 3months – over £250k? – report within 6months

Contact details Elections office – [insert] Electoral Commission contacts [delete as appropriate] –Party and Election Finance –Eastern and South East –London –Midlands –Northern Ireland –North of England –South West –Scotland –Wales

Questions?