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Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)

 

 
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Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
 
 
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The Electoral Commission is a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body

In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and Scottish public bodies to certain types of public bodies....
 with powers in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, which was created by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament

An act of Parliament is a statute wikt:enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. It is broadly equivalent to an act of Congress in the United States....
, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom....
 (2000 c. 41). In 2002 the Boundary Committee for England
Boundary Committee for England

The Boundary Committee for England is an independent body in England responsible for defining borders for local elections; and for conducting reviews of local government areas....
 became a statutory committee of the commission.

The commission is responsible for:






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The Electoral Commission is a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body

In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and Scottish public bodies to certain types of public bodies....
 with powers in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, which was created by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament

An act of Parliament is a statute wikt:enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. It is broadly equivalent to an act of Congress in the United States....
, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom....
 (2000 c. 41). In 2002 the Boundary Committee for England
Boundary Committee for England

The Boundary Committee for England is an independent body in England responsible for defining borders for local elections; and for conducting reviews of local government areas....
 became a statutory committee of the commission.

The commission is responsible for:
  • advising the government on the reform of electoral law
  • working with the Boundary Committee in determining the boundaries of Council Wards and Divisions, in accordance with statutory guidelines
  • deciding the procedures for all referendum
    Referendum

    A referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire Constituency is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal....
    s held in the UK
  • ensuring that all national and local elections are fully free and fair
  • regulating political parties
    Political Parties

    Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy....
    , including maintaining a register of political parties for the United Kingdom, and the funding of political campaign
    Political campaign

    A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracy, political campaigns often refer to election campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendum are decided....
    s
  • promoting public awareness of electoral systems in use in the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....


The commissioners are:
  • Sam Younger
    Sam Younger

    James Samuel Younger Order of the British Empire was formerly the chairman of the United Kingdom Electoral Commission .He was previously managing director of the BBC World Service from 1994 to 1998, and chief executive of the British Red Cross from 1999 to 2001....
     - Chairman
  • Ian Kelsall CBE
    Order of the British Empire

    The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
  • John McCormick
  • Karamjit Singh
    Karamjit Singh (electoral commissioner)

    Karamjit Singh Order of the British Empire is a member of the Electoral Commission in the United Kingdom. Before, he was the Assistant County Clerk for the Leicestershire County Council from 1984 to 1987....
     CBE
  • Henrietta Campbell CB
  • Max Caller CBE


Peter Wardle is the Chief Executive

2006 electoral trials

At the May 2006 local elections, 15 pilot schemes took place in 21 local authority areas across England:

Brent
Brent

Brent is an English place name and surname. The place name can be from Celtic words meaning "holy one" , or "high place," literally, "from a steep hill" ....
; Brentwood
Brentwood (borough)

Brentwood is a Non-metropolitan district and borough in Essex in the East of England....
; Broxbourne
Broxbourne

Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley, Hertfordshire and south of Hoddesdon....
; Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, South Tyneside and Sunderland; Harrow
London Borough of Harrow

The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of outer north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, London Borough of Ealing to the south, London Borough of Brent to...
; Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens and Sefton; Lewisham
Lewisham

Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham....
; Newham
London Borough of Newham

The London Borough of Newham is a London borough in East London, England, within Greater London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames....
; Peterborough
Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial counties of England purposes it is in the Counties of England of Cambridgeshire....
; Rushmoor
Rushmoor

Rushmoor is a Non-metropolitan district and borough in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough, Hampshire.It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Aldershot and the Farnborough, Hampshire urban district....
; Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham

Shrewsbury and Atcham is a Non-metropolitan district with borough status in Shropshire, England.Shrewsbury is the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, is included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former Atcham Rural District....
; Stevenage
Stevenage

Stevenage is a town and Non-metropolitan district in Hertfordshire, England. It is to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1 road , and is between Letchworth to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
; Stratford-on-Avon; Swindon
Swindon

Swindon is a City sized town and unitary borough authority in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in South West England England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, Berkshire, east....
; and Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....


Schemes included:
  • Voting at supermarkets
  • Postal vote signature checking
  • Providing signatures in polling stations
  • Early voting
  • Electronic counting


See also

  • Elections in the United Kingdom
    Elections in the United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections: UK general elections, elections to national/regional parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections....
  • Referendums in the United Kingdom
    Referendums in the United Kingdom

    Referendums are only occasionally held by the government of the United Kingdom. Nine referendums have been held so far , the first in 1973; only one of these covered the whole UK....


External links