Teller (elections)

A teller is a person who counts the votes in an election, vote or poll. Tellers are also known as scrutineers, poll-watchers, challengers or checkers.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, tellers are people working on behalf of political parties (usually as volunteers) who stand or sit outside the polling station and collect the electoral registration numbers of voters as they enter or leave. They play no official part in the election, but their work helps their parties to identify supporters who have not yet voted, so that they can be contacted and encouraged to vote, and offered assistance—such as transport to the polling station—if necessary. Police officers may intervene if tellers “irritate voters, exertundue influence or obstructthe polling station.” [Cite web
publisher=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/Tellersissuespaper6Oct_18721-13852__E__N__S__W__.pdf
quote=2.2 Tellers traditionally attend polling stations to monitor and assess levels of localparty support. They sit outside polling stations or inside if there is a convenientspace separate from the polling area. They usually ask voters for their pollingnumber when they leave the polling station. The purpose is to identify localsupporters who have not yet voted in order that other party activists can urge themto vote before the close of poll. However the activities of tellers have in the pastbeen a source of conflict.
title=Electoral alert 30 - Review of guidance for tellers at polling stations (Issues paper)
date=2005-10-07
accessdate=2008-05-23] [Cite web
quote=Where tellers, orothers, irritate voters, exertundue influence or obstructthe polling station, thePresiding Officer may seekassistance from the police toresolve the matter.
url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/pocketguide_20253-14903__E__N__S__W__.pdf
title=Pocket Guide: Guidance to police officers, Local elections May 2006
accessdate=2008-05-23
year=2006
author=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom), Association of Chief Police Officers
publisher=Centrex] [Cite web
url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/AppendixE-tellersguide-candidates2006_19726-14349__E__N__S__W__.pdf
title=Appendix E: Tellers guide: Guidance for (Acting) Returning Officers, Presiding Officers, political parties, candidates and agents: local government elections in England on 4 May 2006
accessdate=2008-05-23
date=2006-01-27
publisher=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)] [Cite hansard
quote=When I first became involved in politics, there was a clear unwritten convention that on polling day one did not take a loudspeaker anywhere near a polling station. One did not hand out literature at the entrances to polling stations. All that tellers did was take numbers.
url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070226/debtext/70226-0017.htm
house=House of Commons | date=2007-02-26 | column= 706] [Cite web
url=http://www.walsall.gov.uk/index/council_and_democracy/elections/becoming_a_councillor-faq.htm#10969
title=Becoming a councillor FAQ: What is the role of the tellers?
accessdate=2008-05-23
date=
author=
publisher=Walsall Council]

Sometimes, some or all of the main parties might reach an agreement to take shifts, and pass on their lists to the other parties; however it is commonplace to see several tellers outside a polling station.

After the May 2005 Northern Ireland elections, the Electoral Commission concluded that some candidates' polling agents unlawfully assisted with identifying supporters who had not yet voted, by passing information from inside the polling place to other party workers. This information is not normally available to parties unless voters give it voluntarily to tellers. [Cite web
url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/files/dms/NIcombinedelectionsFINALPDF_19163-14140__E__N__S__W__.pdf
title=May 2005 Combined Elections Report
page_start=91
page_end=93
publisher=Electoral Commission
quote=6.70 Despite being made aware ofsecrecy requirements, some polling agentstransmitted information from the marked registerto party workers outside the polling place.
accessdate=2008-05-23
date=2005-12-15]

ee also

*Polling agent
*Counting agent

References

External links

* [http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/14349 Electoral Commission UK Guidelines]
* [http://www.elections.org.nz/voting/how_to_scrutineer.html New Zealand Guidelines]
* [http://www.wikihow.com/Scrutineer-in-an-Election-in-Canada Canadian guidelines]
* [http://www.walsall.gov.uk/index/council_and_democracy/elections/becoming_a_councillor-faq.htm#10969 Becoming a councillor FAQ: What is the role of the tellers?] – Walsall Council, UK