Casual election staff
Helping voters to cast their votes and ensuring that election day runs smoothly.
We are looking for people to work as canvass staff, poll clerks and presiding officers and to help with counting votes. If you are interested in becoming involved we would love to hear from you.
The Electoral Registration Officer carries out an annual canvass. Scheduled elections are generally the first Thursday in May. Some years there are no scheduled polls, such as in 2022 and again in 2026.
Find out more about working at your local polling station on the Electoral Commission website or read on to find out about the opportunities at Uttlesford District Council.
Polling station handbook
(PDF)
[2MB]
General requirements
If you undertake election or canvassing duties you must be:
- at least 18 years of age
- entitled to work in the UK (in accordance with the provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996)
⚠ Polling and count staff must not work on behalf of a candidate or political party during an election campaign, nor be related to a prospective candidate.
All staff will be required to sign an agreement to maintain the secrecy of the poll.
Election based jobs
Find out more about each of the jobs.
About polling station staff
Polling station staff are responsible for the conduct of the ballot in each polling station. There will be a presiding officer and at least one poll clerk at each station. On election day polling station staff are required to work from around 6am until after 10pm without leaving the polling station. You will also be required to attend a mandatory training session.
You must have been a poll clerk at least once before in order to be considered for the post of presiding officer.
Poll clerk
Poll clerks assist the presiding officer in the conduct of the ballot in the polling stations.
What we'll pay
Rates of pay vary between different polls. As a poll clerk you will be paid around £12 per hour. We'll tell you what the actual rates are when you are appointed.
About the job
Presiding officer
Presiding officers are responsible for the conduct of the ballot in the polling stations and they must have a good knowledge of the voting procedures.
What we'll pay
Rates of pay vary between different polls. As a presiding officer you'll get around £18 per hour. We'll tell you what the actual rates are when you are appointed.
About the job
Presiding officer job description
Counting staff
Counting staff are employed to count the votes either overnight following the election or the day after. This role requires high levels of concentration and accuracy.
What we'll pay
The rate of pay will be in the region of £13 per hour for the Friday daytime count in 2023.
About the job
Counting assistant job description
Canvass staff
Every summer and autumn we employ canvassers to make personal visits to properties where the occupants have not responded to the annual canvass form. This is to ensure that the information on the electoral register is as accurate and up to date as possible.
What we'll pay
We'll pay you £11.35 an hour.
What else you'll get
Reasonable mileage expenses.
Appointing staff
Appointments are made directly by the Returning Officer and not the council and as such the council's normal recruitment policies and procedures do not apply for these temporary posts.
We often have more applications than vacancies and we make it clear that if someone is not initially allocated for a post then they are added to our reserve list as we often have a number of initially allocated staff drop out for various reasons.
We then call people on our reserve list as appropriate vacancies arise. We do use a number of our own staff in the first instance and supplement this with additional staff from outside who we hold on our database of temporary staff. We then consider the person's experience; availability; preferences; where they live or whether they have access to a car and are prepared to travel.
Whilst we will follow the principles of equality of opportunity and good employment practices, the Returning Officer's decision on individual appointments is final and we will not normally notify unsuccessful applicants or enter in to correspondence regarding unsuccessful applications.
How to apply
You can apply for any of our election jobs by using our online form.
Pension contributions
If you earn more than £833.00 working for the Returning Officer or Electoral Registration in any casual electoral appointments you may be entitled to qualify for pension contributions to a NEST scheme. However, all appointments are for a short specific time limited event and we finish employees with a P45 or P60. You can contact our Electoral Services team for further information.
Right to work
If you are not an employee of UDC; did not work for us last year or have not worked for us before, you must have your Right to Work checked.
Please bring in your passport or if you do not have one, your full birth certificate for us to take a copy. Any issues, please contact us. For further information please refer to the employers' right to work checklist on GOV.UK.
Payment
If you are not an employee of Uttlesford District Council and are offered an appointment you must complete our editable PDF of the Election Worker Details/Tax form (PDF) [172KB] and email a copy to humanresources@uttlesford.gov.uk or send it to:
Human Resources
Uttlesford District Council
Council Offices
London Road
Saffron Walden
CB11 4ER