Electoral staff facing “intolerable” conditions with more than half reporting abuse, survey finds

While the 2024 general election was well-managed, the resilience of electoral processes is "questionable", with staff consistently reporting time and resourcing problems, the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) has warned.

In a report on last year's general election, the think tank also found that of the 259 electoral administrators surveyed, more than half (60%) had experienced or seen a team member endure abuse at the poll station.

The report, which was published last week (20 March), found that elections staff do not have sufficient time or resources to deliver elections "without enduring intolerable stress".

The report also raised concerns about the resilience and capacity of the electoral services workforce, postal votes, intimidation and abuse of staff.

According to the think tank, 94% of administrators raised the challenge of organising snap elections as a problem, and 86% complained about the statutory timetable.

Meanwhile, 87% described getting postal votes to electors on time as an issue, and a further 80% cited complex electoral law as problematic.

Funding woes were highlighted by 73% of respondents, while 72% voiced concern about recruiting polling station staff.

More than half of respondents reported that they or another member of their team had experienced abuse or harassment at the general election - and almost a third reported "disturbances" at polling stations, according to the report.

In light of the findings, the LGIU recommended the election timetable be extended and standardised across elections to ensure that there is enough time to deliver elections at an acceptable standard while reducing the personal burdens on staff.

"In considering these changes, attention should also be paid to the question of returning postal votes and how this can be made to work better for overseas electors," the report said.

Turning to resourcing, the report recommended that the resources available to electoral services staff should be considered "alongside their capacity to deliver adequate and standardised services across local authority areas given the ongoing local authority funding crisis and its corresponding impact on electoral services teams".

Automatic registration should also be considered, and the next changes to electoral legislation should be accompanied by a wholesale consolidation of existing legislation, the LGIU said.

This consolidation should be developed alongside Scottish and Welsh legislatures to harmonise electoral law in policy areas where confusion is common, such as online postal vote applications, the report added.

Finally, it recommended that the Government consider the protection of electoral services staff and temporary election workers alongside campaigners and electors and review the legislation on electoral offences accordingly to ensure their protection as an equally vital part of the democratic electoral process.

"The 2024 general election was well-managed, delivered without significant issues across the UK, and in general resulted in a small number of visible issues", the report said.

It continued: "There were pockets of difficulty, such as with the delivery of postal votes, but we did not see widespread dissatisfaction with electoral processes, or attempts to discount the results, as you might expect in the event of a contested election. From the surface, all appears to be working as intended.

"However, many administrators raised with us problems that we, as outside observers, would be unlikely to see. Administrators are still going above and beyond to deliver elections, working extraordinary hours under difficult circumstances, wrestling with complex legislation and ever-shifting requirements, and contending with significant abuse and harassment."

The report said elections should not be "dependent on the goodwill of staff, who are overworked and under-supported", adding: "This survey has found several reasons to be concerned about the ongoing capacity of electoral administrators to deliver elections while remaining protected from abuse and harassment and not having to endure intolerable working conditions."

Adam Carey