Working at elections
Have you ever thought of getting involved at election time by either working at a polling station or at the count? Electoral Services are always looking to recruit motivated and dynamic staff to fill any vacancies that may come up, and would love to hear from you if you're interested in becoming involved.
Working at a Polling Station
Polling station staff are appointed by the Returning Officer and are responsible for the conduct of the ballot, making sure that the proper procedures for voting are followed. On the day of the election, polling station staff must be on duty from 6:45am until shortly after 10pm. All staff employed to work at a polling station will be required to attend a training session before taking up their appointment.
Working at the Count
Counting assistants are appointed by the Returning Officer to verify and count the votes cast at polling stations, together with the postal votes received in the run-up to polling day. Verification & Counting may take place after the polls close (10pm on polling day), or the following morning. The count is usually held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd.
Eligibility
To work at elections, you must;
- be at least 18 years old
- be entitled to work in the UK (in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996)
- not be employed by or related to a potential candidate
- not work on behalf of a candidate or political party to work as polling or count staff
- consent to working in excess of the normal working hours provided for by the working time directive
How to apply
You can only apply online to work at elections - we do not accept CVs. To complete the online form you will need a valid e-mail address.
Apply online to work at elections Apply online to work at elections
After applying to work at elections
We will consider a person's experience, availability and where they live in offering a role.
All appointments are temporary and if successful, you will be employed by The Returning Officer (not Powys County Council).
Being appointed to work at an election is not a guarantee of work at future elections. We often have more applications than vacancies and if someone is not given a role then they will be added to our staffing list to fill vacancies if they come up.
We will not be able to respond to all applications.
More information
Casual Election roles are employed directly by the Returning Officer and not Powys County Council. Powys County Council's employee terms and conditions and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme do not apply for casual election roles.
Election roles are paid on a Pay As You Earn (PAYE) basis, which means that tax may be deducted from earnings. If you are not a tax payer you will be responsible for claiming the tax back from HMRC. However fees paid for election work are exempt from National Insurance contributions.
Any work that you do may affect;
- any state pension or benefit that you receive - you will be responsible for telling your pension or benefit provider about your earnings
- how much tax that you are required to pay - you will be responsible for informing HMRC about your earnings
Contacts
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