Temporary jobs with electoral services
Are you interested in helping us run local and national elections? Each year we employ temporary staff to assist us at polling stations, the elections count and during the annual canvass.
You don’t need to work for the council or government to apply. We are looking for people with a good general level of education and general administration skills. No previous experience is needed, as full training will be given.
These temporary posts may be for fixed or variable hours and for one day or a number of days, to be agreed at the relevant time.
If you’re interested in being added to our database of temporary staff, then please fill in our online temporary elections job expression of interest form. You will then be added to our temporary staff database. We will then contact you nearer the time to find out if you are available on the required dates.
On this page you can find out more about what is involved with each job. Please read our casual election staff privacy notice to find out how we will use your information and your rights. Read more information about working at elections on The Electoral Commission website.
Personal Requirements
To work at an election, you must:
- Be over 16 (18 for some roles)
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Be able to correspond via email
- Have a good level of general education
You also cannot work for elections if you have campaigned on behalf of a candidate or party, nominated a candidate or have a personal relationship with an elected representative or candidate. Please contact us if you are unsure whether this applies to you.
To prove you have the right to work in the UK you will need to show one of the following when asked to do so:
- A valid Passport.
- A full birth certificate issued in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Ireland accompanied by an official document giving the applicants permanent National Insurance Number.
- A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence.
Other forms of entitlement may be acceptable. Please contact the elections team for more information or visit the Borders and immigration Agency website.
Available roles
There are various roles available to help in the build-up to an election, on polling day itself and with the counting of votes. We also need people to help us with the annual canvass of voters. More information on each of these roles is available below. To express your interest in any of these roles, please fill in our online temporary elections job expression of interest form.
Poll Clerk
The job of the Poll Clerk is to support the Presiding Officer, who is the person in charge of overseeing the running of their Polling Station. The Poll Clerk's main role is to maintain the secrecy and security of the ballot and to be the face of an efficient and democratic election process.
The main duties of a Poll Clerk are:
- To have read and understood the statement of secrecy and maintain the secrecy and security of the ballot at all times
- Must attend training/briefing session as and when required
- Assist with the layout of the polling station and prepare for the opening of the poll. Including the setting up of polling booths.
- Remain at the polling station for the entire day and assist the Presiding Officer to open and close the poll on time. Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm.
- Be polite and professional in dealing with voters, candidates and agents, maintaining high standards of customer service at all times.
- Act impartially at all times.
- Check that voters are eligible to vote at that particular election and that particular polling station.
- Check and mark voters’ names in the register of electors.
- Issue ballot papers to voters included on the relevant register for that polling station.
- Ensure that voters cast their vote in secret.
- Answer voters’ questions, where appropriate in a friendly and professional way.
- Ensure the proper procedure for voting is followed, as per instructions.
- Deal with special procedures for voting such as assisting voters who cannot read the ballot paper, assisting to people unable to vote unaided, and voters assisted by a companion.
- Help with any other polling station duties on the instruction of the Presiding Officer.
- Be responsible for Health and Safety at the station for yourself and others.
Counting Assistant
The role of a Counting Assistant is to support the Returning Officer, the person responsible for running the election, to count the ballot papers. A Counting Assistant must make sure votes are counted fairly, efficiently and accurately.
The main duties of a Counting Assistant are:
- Assist the Table Supervisor in the sorting and counting of votes.
- Ensure the requirements for secrecy and security are observed
- Remain at the Count Centre until all votes are counted.
- Ensure that the proper procedure for the sorting and counting of votes is followed, as per instructions.
- Act impartially at all times, be polite and professional but not engage in debate with any counting agent.
- During the counting of the votes, draw the Table Supervisors attention to any doubtful papers as instructed.
- Be responsible for the Health and Safety of yourself and others.
Postal Vote Assistants
The role of a Postal Vote Assistant is to help the Returning Officer issue, open and handle postal ballot papers. They must make sure the postal ballot is dealt with fairly, efficiently and accurately.
The main duties of a Postal Vote Assistant are:
- Follow instructions provided by the elections officers and ensure that the proper procedure is followed
- Ensure the requirements for secrecy and security are observed
- Act impartially at all times, be polite and professional but not engage in debate with any Candidate or Agent.
- During the counting of the votes, draw the Table Supervisors attention to any doubtful papers as instructed.
- Be responsible for the Health and Safety of yourself and others.
Annual canvasser
Each autumn we conduct an Annual Canvass of electors to check whether the information held on the electoral register is correct and register any new voters. As part of this process we send canvassers to visit properties, knock on doors and talk to residents. Our canvassers are employed for up to two months and all training is provided. If you are interested in visiting properties to encourage people to register to vote, then please fill in our online temporary elections jobs expression of interest form. You may then receive an application form in October.
Contact us
For more information contact the Electoral Services Team by calling 01386 565437 between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday or email
Casual election staff privacy notice
What is a Privacy Notice?
A Privacy Notice is a statement issued by an organisation which explains how personal and confidential data about individuals is collected, used and shared. You need to be aware of this Privacy Notice if you are submitting information for a casual electoral position.
Who is collecting and using your personal data?
When we collect your personal data the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and Returning Officer (RO) is the independent data controller. We collect a range of data about you during the engagement of a casual worker process in a variety of ways. Personal data will also be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, and on our elections management software database.
How the law allows us to use your information
We will need to process data to take steps to enter into an engagement of work with you. In some cases, we need to process personal data to ensure that we are complying with our legal obligations. For example, it is mandatory to check a successful applicant's eligibility to work in the UK before casual work starts. Electoral Services has a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from job applicants allows us to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm a candidate's suitability for work, to make reasonable adjustments for those who have a disability and decide to whom to offer a job. We may also need to process data from job applicants to respond to and defend against legal claims. Electoral Services has a lawful basis to collect personal data as it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and exercise of official authority as vested in the Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer as set out in Representation of the People Act 1983 and associated regulations.
Who do we share your information with?
Your data may be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment exercise and, if you are employed, the election cycle with
Wychavon District Council’s Payroll Department
other casual members of staff (such as Polling Station Inspectors and polling station colleagues if you are employed in a polling station role).
How do we protect your information?
We take the security of your personal data seriously. We have internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your personal data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.
How long do we keep your personal information?
Your personal data will be retained and reviewed on a regular annual basis until your engagement with the Elections Team is over. Your engagement with the Elections Team will end once you have asked to be removed from our system and no longer wish to be considered for casual election work, or when your casual employment is terminated by Wychavon Council’s Elections Team.
Your personal data will be retained for a further three years after your engagement has ended.
What you can do with your information
You have a number of rights. You can:
access and obtain a copy of your data on request (Subject Access Request)
require the Council’s Elections Team to change incorrect or incomplete data
require the Council’s Elections Team to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing
object to the processing of your data where the Council’s Elections Team is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing.
If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Electoral Registration Officer, Data Controller, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs WR10 1PT or email
If you believe that the Electoral Registration Officer has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.
What if you do not provide personal data?
You are under no statutory obligation to provide personal data to Wychavon District Council’s Elections Team during the casual worker recruitment process. However, if you do not provide the data, we will not be able to offer you work.
