Employment at Elections 2011

East Devon District Council elections and parish/town council elections take place on Thursday 5 May 2011. There is also  a referendum on an alternative voting system which will take place on the same date.

We are now looking to recruit staff, and Word Document an application form for the various roles is available here to download (65KB - 02 March 2011). Please email the completed form to electionsteam@eastdevon.gov.uk

The jobs we have available are:

Presiding officer

Poll clerk

Postal Vote Issuer

Postal vote opening clerk

Verification Count assistant

Who is eligible to apply?

Anyone aged 18 or over who is not employed (whether in a paid or unpaid) by or on behalf of a candidate or political party at an election to which they are employed to work at.

You must be eligible to work in the UK,and prepared to provide your passport or a document containing your National Insurance number if requested.

The Returning Officer is precluded from employing any person who has been or may be employed by or on behalf of a candidate at a particular election. You are required to inform us if this applies to you.

Is experience needed?

Previous Poll Clerk experience  is essential for the position of Presiding Officer.

Do I have to attend an interview?

Not necessarily. First, complete and return the application form which is available to download from this page. Successful applicants will be notified by letter. Staff will be appointed based on ability, experience, distance to polling station and/or count centre and made at the discretion of the Returning Officer in consultation with the Deputy Returning Officer/Elections Manager.

Polling station staff

There are over 100 polling stations located throughout East Devon. Applicants applying for Presiding Officer or Poll Clerk positions are asked to state which areas they would prefer and whether or not they are able/prepared to travel.

Verification/counting staff

Verification/Counting will take place at the Council Chamber, Knowle, Sidmouth.

Postal vote opening staff

Postal vote opening will take place at the Council Chamber, Knowle, Sidmouth.

What are the hours of work?

Presiding Officer or Poll Clerk

Staff must be at the assigned polling station by 6.30am until the end of poll at 10.00pm. All staff must be prepared to remain in the polling station for the entire day and bring with them any food/drink and anything else they need.

Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks will be required to attend a training session, details of which are be given to successful candidates.

Postal Vote Staff

Postal vote opening staff are required to work prior to the election and the hours of work are usually 10am to 4:30pm (dependant on how many postal votes have been received) with an hour for lunch.

Verification/Count Staff

Verification and counting staff must be prepared to stay in their post until the verification or counting of the votes has finished. In the case of late night verification this could be into the early hours of the following morning.

The verification will commence immediately after the close of poll at 10pm on Thursday 5 May 2011.

The counting of the District ballot papers will take place from 9.00am on Friday 6 May 2011.

The counting of Referendum ballot papers will take place from 4 pm on Friday 6 May 2011.

The counting of parish/town council ballot papers will provisionally take place at 9:00am on Saturday 7 May.

How will I be paid?

Payment will be made by BACS on or around 25 May 2011.

What are the fees?

We are awaiting the fees and charges order from Central Government which will ultimately decide the fees payable for the May elections and the referendum.

I’ve submitted an application, what happens next?

All applications are held on our staff database and we will contact you as and when an appropriate vacancy arises.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Elections Team on 01395 517408 or email electionsteam@eastdevon.gov.uk

Page last updated on 17 March 2011