Council publishes independent review into postal vote delay issues
A review into how postal voting was managed at the recent general election in the North West Essex constituency has been published.
Cllr Petrina Lees, Leader of Uttlesford District Council, commissioned Peter Stanyon, a leading independent electoral expert from the Association of Electoral Administrators to investigate the issues with delayed postal vote dispatch and make recommendations for the future.
The report has been published as part of the agenda for the Audit & Standards Committee meeting on 26 September. This can be viewed on the council website: Agenda for Audit and Standards Committee.
In his report, Mr Stanyon notes that the election in North West Essex was "generally administered well, with the error having no effect on the eventual outcome" and that "appropriate procedures were followed" once the issues came to light. He also makes a series of recommendations for the council to consider - this includes carrying out a separate internal review of the challenges faced in electoral processes by the elections team, to identify any potential single points of failure and the resources and support required to mitigate risk in future. He also suggests putting in place some additional administrative checks.
Cllr Lees said: "Whilst the issues with the delayed postal vote dispatch had no effect on the outcome of the election, it is important that we understand what went wrong and make sure we apply learning from it in future. I would like to thank Peter Stanyon for his report and the list of recommendations which we will fully consider and take on board."
Entirely separate from the independent expert review, the Electoral Commission carried out its own moderation process and determined the error does not require formal assessment. The Electoral Commission's conclusion as to the severity of the situation aligns with Mr Stanyon's conclusion.
24 September 2024
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