Response 1044935

Response to request for information

Response date

1 March 2023

Request

1. How many Voter Authority Certificates (VACs) has the council issued, how many applications has it rejected, and what is the demographic profile of those applications, both accepted and rejected?

2. Can you confirm that the Chief Executive, acting in their role as the Returning Officer, and/or the Elections Department of your council, has received guidance from the Electoral Commission and/or the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities about implementing the new voter ID legislation for the May 4th elections?
3. Can you confirm a) all polling station staff have been trained on implementing the new processes and if so, b) what that training has entailed?
4. Can you confirm whether the Chief Executive, in their role as Returning Officer, has presented a report on preparedness for the Voter ID requirements to the full council or any other appropriate committee of the council? Has this included a risk assessment and mitigation plan? (If yes, please can you supply a copy of that report?)
5. Can you confirm whether an audit has been undertaken of all proposed polling stations to identify a private room for those people who, for whatever reason, cover their faces in public? What was the outcome of this audit if it has happened? (For example, have any polling stations been found to be unsuitable, and if so, how many?)
6. Has the council undertaken a public information campaign to inform voters about the new Voter ID requirements?

Response

Thank you for your freedom of information request received on February 22, please see our response below.

I refer to your request for information received on 22 February 2023 and would advise you that the registration of electors is governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983 as amended. Under Section 8 of the Act, the council must appoint an officer of the council to be the registration officer for any constituency or part of a constituency coterminous with or situated in the council’s area. Katherine Marriott (Chief Executive) is the appointed officer for the registration area of the District of Rushcliffe. Her appointment as Electoral Registration Officer is separate to her appointment as Chief Executive and, although appointed by the council, the Electoral Registration Officer’s responsibilities and duties are personal. An example of this is that the register of electors is deemed to be the property of the Electoral Registration Officer, not the local authority.

The Electoral Registration Officer does not carry out the duties on behalf of the local authority but in her own personal capacity. A list of public bodies and local authorities that are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act is available online.

As you will see, the Freedom of Information Act does not list any person appointed under the Representation of the People Act 1983. It follows that the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer or any other person appointed under the Act are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Notwithstanding that there is no statutory obligation to provide this information, the Electoral Services Section have considered your request and, if the information is readily accessible it is provided below:

2. An application for a Voter Authority Certificate is made to the ERO and not the council (in accordance with Section 13BD (2) of the Representation of the People Act 1983). The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have confirmed that ‘issued’ requires the VAC be printed by the government contracted printer once determined by the ERO. Therefore, the council has not issued or rejected any VACs as it is not within their remit to. There is no requirement on EROs to record how many VACs they have issued or applications they have rejected and we do not hold this information. However there is a performance dashboard available with information on applications received across the UK and various statistical information since the system went live on 16 January. The information isn’t broken down into local authority area but does provide an overall breakdown by age group. There is no requirement on EROs to record the demographic profile of applications. We are unable to provide this data as it is not available to us.
3. Yes I can confirm and this information is readily available on the Electoral Commission’s website and this further guidance. 
4. At the time of the request polling station staff are still to be trained for the 4 May Polls. Training will take place in the coming weeks and will cover all aspects of each role, including but not limited to new voter ID and accessibility requirements. All polling station staff will receive this training.
5. No. Briefings have been held with members, but no report has been presented to full council or any committee of the council.
6. Legislation requires ROs to ensure each polling station contains an area in which voters can produce proof of identity in private. Therefore, there is no requirement to provide a private room, simply a private area, which could mean via a privacy screen or other alternative. In line with Electoral Commission guidance all polling stations have been assessed to determine how to accommodate this new requirement and provide a private area for voting. It should also be noted that question five also implies a private room will only be used for people who cover their faces in public. Any elector can request to have their photo ID checked in private. The elector is not required to give a reason for this request and polling station staff are not to ask why an elector wants to have their ID checked in private.
7. Yes, the council has undertaken a Public Information campaign, and this is ongoing. We have utilised the templates provided by the Electoral Commission as part of our publicity on this and this week we have a two-page article in our council newsletter that is being distributed to all properties in the borough. Additionally, we have a booklet on voter ID being sent out later this month with council tax bills again to every property in the borough.