Local Government Elections Officer/Manager

In the UK, all parliamentary general elections, European parliamentary elections and by-elections are organised by local councils. Local government elections officers and managers are responsible for making sure that the whole process of an election is carried out within strict legal guidelines. Elections officers:

• help to develop and maintain a register of electors
• send electoral registration forms to households
• check completed forms and keep the register up to date
• organise polling stations
• answer enquiries and prepare statistics and reports.

In addition to this, elections managers also:

• oversee the work of elections officers
• give advice on the law and procedures relating to elections
• make sure that the information and documents required by official bodies are accurate and delivered on time
• manage the nomination process for election candidates
• decide on the location of polling stations.

Elections officers and managers usually work 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Additional hours may be required during election periods. They are based in council offices in towns and cities. Elections managers may travel to attend meetings.

Salaries for elections officers start at between £16,000 and £22,000, with elections manager salaries ranging from around £28,000 to £40,000 a year.

An elections officer/manager should have:

• excellent communication, organisational and customer relations skills
• ability to deal professionally with people from a wide range of backgrounds
• flexibility and confidence to manage and re-prioritise workloads within tight deadlines
• discretion, as election work is confidential
• a genuine interest in democracy and the law.

There are 433 local councils in the UK employing elections officers and managers. While there are no minimum entry requirements, many councils require elections officers to have GCSEs (A*-C) including English and maths, or equivalent. Most entrants will have experience of working in local government in an administrative or clerical role, either within an elections team or related department.

Elections managers are usually promoted from elections officer posts. Most will have completed the Association of electoral administrators (AEA) foundation course and will have progressed to the Certificate in electoral administration and may be working towards the Diploma in electoral administration.

New entrants usually receive on-the-job training. There may also be short courses on topics like changes in electoral law or the introduction of new software packages.

Elections staff are encouraged to work towards the three levels of qualifications offered by the AEA.

Experienced and qualified elections officers may be promoted to elections manager posts. Elections officers and managers may transfer to other council departments like policy or democratic services. They may also find administrative or management jobs in other employment sectors. With legal training, elections managers may be able to transfer to local authority legal services departments.

Further details