Issue - meetings

To provide the Committee with feedback following the introduction of Voter Identification and the use of Modern Polling at the May 2023 elections.

The Associate Director for Strategy, Partnerships and Housing advised that the purpose of the report was to provide feedback following the introduction of Voter Identification and the use of Modern Polling at the May 2023 elections.

Members raised the following points:

·         Voters had to wait for a long time to collect their ballot paper due to the QR codes did not scan at some of the polling stations.

·         There were 141 delayed postal votes this year; this seemed unusually high.

·         A further clarification is required for a breakdown on number of delayed postal votes between the District and Parish Council, and the individual wards, and the issues with Royal Mail. 

·         Concerns were raised by the public on postal votes being sent out in different envelopes to the same address on consecutive dates.

·         The postal votes being sent out in separate envelopes caused delays.

·         Tables during the count were over-crowded, preventing the observers to view the counts.

·         Tellers should not have been reminding voters about personal ID.

·         Members should not have handled postal votes; it is against the code of conduct policy.

The following clarification was provided by the Associate Director for Strategy, Partnerships and Housing:

·         The number of delayed postal votes was higher this year compared to last year, with last year being 52. It was not known how many of the delayed postal votes were the result of Royal Mail and how many of them were posted late by voters.

·         Officers received two types of online training prior to the Election; one was how to use the Modern Polling device, and the other was the Elections process training.

·         Connectivity of the devices was monitored in the office throughout the day and connectivity was not restricted to Wi-Fi; the iPads had access to the relevant mobile networks, and if there was Wi-Fi access at the premises, it was used as a backup.

·         The council received new burden’s funding to cover the extra cost of the new duties placed upon the officers.

·         Royal Mail had advised that some of the postal votes could not be delivered to residentials roads in South Oxhey due to staff sickness.

·         Further clarification can be provided on the breakdown of the 141 late postal votes, with ward data included. However, this number may not have amounted to an actual vote as officers don’t open late postal votes. The district and parish council postal votes were sent out in separate envelopes due to time constraints.

·         The parish council election count usually takes place on a Saturday, but due to the Coronation this year, which was followed by the bank holiday Monday, the count was scheduled for Tuesday, 9 May 2023.

·         This was the first year that all district wards were counted at the same time, which meant that the only way to physically do the 13 counts at one time, is by having smaller count teams, which allowed less space for observers.

·         One of the questions on the Government return the council has to provide was whether  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21