Election jobs

The role

Postal vote openers are employed in the days leading up to election day and are responsible for opening, checking and preparing completed postal votes for counting after the close of poll. Votes for candidates are not counted as part of this process and therefore the greatest care must be taken by postal vote openers to ensure that the secrecy of the ballot is maintained.

Teams of postal vote openers are employed on an hourly basis on days and times as designated by the Returning Officer. This will be confirmed during recruitment. The length of the sessions will vary depending on the number of postal votes received. It may be determined that a session will need to be cancelled at short notice.

The role of the postal vote opener is not difficult, but commitment and flexibility is required. You may be required to work under scrutiny.

Duties:

• Ensure the secrecy of the ballot at all times
• Count envelopes received
• Open and check contents of envelopes
• Tally the number of ballot papers received
• Refrain from engaging in conversations with candidates and agents

All staff will be required to sign their agreement to maintain the secrecy of the poll.

Pay

Pay is determined in the run-up to an election. It will be confirmed once positions have been allocated.

How to apply

You can apply for an election job at any time of the year. We will add all applicants to our staff database and you will be contacted for your availability when we begin staffing for our next election.
 
The next scheduled election is the County Council election, which will take place on 1 May 2025. If you would like to be added to the database for future elections, please let us know in your application.

When you apply, tell us:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your contact details (email address, telephone number)
• Your date or birth
• Your national insurance number
• Your bank account details (sort code and account number)
• The position(s) you would like to apply for

Apply for an election job

Alternatively, request a form from us: contact Electoral Services

Usually, in the run-up to an election, we will write to everyone already listed on our staff database and ask them to indicate their availability. If you are already on our staffing database, you don’t need to apply again. 

Only individuals who have a right to work in the United Kingdom and with no political affiliations are eligible to work at elections.

Election staff must not work on behalf of a candidate during an election campaign, or be related to any prospective candidate.

Last updated: 10/05/2024 12:55