Shortage of Portacabins at Polling Stations during Festival Season Elections

Race Against Time for General Election Organisers

Rishi Sunak’s decision to hold a general election in early July has created a “huge challenge” for organisers, who face a race against time to recruit staff and find space to hold polls.

Pressure on Electoral Teams

The timing of the election caught Westminster off-guard last week, as the settled consensus was that the Prime Minister was more likely to wait until the autumn before going to the country. Peter Stanyon, chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said the significantly tighter timeline means there is “massive pressure” on teams who are facing the first major national vote since the introduction of voter ID, as well as changes to rules around proxy and postal voting.

Challenges Faced by Local Teams

Stanyon mentioned that local teams could be “struggling to get the bodies behind the desks” to run election processes, and that portacabins could be in short supply for polling purposes because the election will take place in the middle of festival season.

Changes to the Electoral System

This year, hundreds of thousands more British citizens living abroad will be able to register for a vote thanks to the abolition of the rule that meant people who left the UK more than 15 years ago lost the right to vote. Stanyon expects “higher numbers coming through” of applications from overseas electors, with potential challenges in processing incomplete or incorrect information.

The Elections Act in 2022 introduced changes to the rules around voting, including voter ID requirements, proxy and postal voting regulations. The 4 July general election will be the first time that the Voter ID rules have applied nationwide, adding complexity to the voting process.

Concerns about Staff Recruitment

The changes in the electoral system have raised concerns about staff recruitment. Stanyon noted that the complexity of the voting process is leading to difficulties in finding willing participants to work at polling stations, especially given the additional responsibilities related to Voter ID and postal vote handling.

One source working in electoral services expressed challenges in employing staff for general elections compared to local votes, highlighting the struggle to recruit enough people to work at polling stations due to increased responsibilities and lack of interest.

Despite the challenges, electoral teams are working diligently to ensure a smooth and efficient election process for the upcoming general election on 4 July.