Norwich North By-election 2009: Electoral Commission's Report
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Summary
October 2009
Norwich North by-election
The Norwich North by-election took place on 23 July 2009 following the resignation of the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Ian Gibson. This summary provides information on the administration of the resulting by-election in the Parliamentary constituency of Norwich North. The following information was obtained during the observation of the byelection by Commission representatives and from information provided by the Acting Returning Officer, Electoral Registration Officer and their staff.
Organisation
In UK Parliamentary elections in England and Wales, the Returning Officer may receive the writ, declare the result and return the writ but all other functions are carried out by the Acting Returning Officer (ARO). The ARO is a senior local government officer statutorily appointed to run the election independent of their local authority position. The ARO for the Norwich North by-election was Broadland District Council’s Chief Executive Officer Colin Bland.
The Norwich North constituency includes parts of the two council areas of Broadland District Council and Norwich City Council. In constituencies with boundaries that cross over local government borders, the Secretary of State designates the lead role to the council with the higher number of electors, in this case Broadland, which has an electorate of 47,362. Norwich has an electorate of 27,762.
Timetable
Although the short timescale for by-elections has planning implications for the ARO, a significant factor at Norwich
North was that the by-election closely followed the 4 June European Parliamentary elections, meaning that systems and procedures were already in place.
The timetable for the Norwich North by-election was 17 working days. The key dates were: • Dr Gibson resigned on 5 June 2009 and the writ of election was issued following a motion of the House of Commons on 30 June 2009. • The writ was received at Broadland on Wednesday 1 July 2009 and the Notice of Election was published on Friday 3 July.
• The closing date for the delivery of nomination papers was Wednesday 8 July.
• Applications to register to vote in the by-election, or to apply for a postal vote, had to be received by the Electoral Registration Officer by Wednesday 8 July while applications to vote by proxy (except in the case of a medical emergency) had to be received by Wednesday 15 July. • Polling day for the by-election was set as Thursday 23 July.
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election
Candidates
Twelve candidates contested the Norwich North by-election. Ten candidates stood for election as a candidate for a registered political party and two candidates stood as independent candidates. Political parties are required to be registered with the Electoral Commission if they wish their candidates to use the registered party name or one of their 12 descriptions on the ballot paper when contesting any statutory election in the UK.
Nominations
The nominations process went smoothly. The ARO offered informal checks of candidates’ nomination papers although most chose not to submit papers for an informal check. All 12 candidates who submitted nomination papers remained validly nominated.
Candidates’ election expenses
Candidates contesting a UK Parliamentary by-election are subject to a £100,000 spending limit, which is applicable from the moment a person becomes a candidate through to the date
of the poll. Expense returns with supporting receipts must be submitted to the ARO by every candidate along with a declaration from the agent, within 35 calendar days (27 August) from the date the result of the by-election is announced.
Absent voting
The management of absent voting was split between the two authorities, Broadland District and Norwich City, with each processing postal votes from the electors within their boundaries. The ARO contracted commercial suppliers to print the postal ballots. The postal ballot packs were then assembled and sent from the council offices. The process of printing and sending postal ballot packs to voters ran smoothly.
More than 300 additional electors were granted postal votes between the vacancy occurring and the deadline for postal vote applications (24 working days).
Postal ballot packs were despatched to 14,462 electors (21.91% of the eligible electorate) on 10 July. 10,509
(72.66%) completed postal votes were received by the ARO by the deadline of 10pm on polling day, representing 30.56% of the overall turnout. Norwich City held postal vote opening sessions on 20, 21, 22, and 23 July, while Broadland held opening sessions on the 21, 22 and 23 July. The ARO undertook 100% verification of postal voting statements. Both authorities opted to use electronic comparison checking software to assist in their adjudication of the personal identifiers. There were minor technical delays with scanning software at the first opening session in Norwich City. However this proved inconsequential as the ARO had allowed for multiple opening sessions. Postal voting statements that are subject to the verification of personal identifiers can be rejected for a number of reasons. In total, 257 postal votes were rejected by the ARO, representing less than 2% of those returned by the close of poll. A breakdown of the reasons for postal vote rejection is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Reasons for postal vote rejection Rejected for
Want of a signature and/or date of birth
Mismatched signature and/or date of birth
Number of postal ballots rejected 156 101
Polling Day
Our observations on polling day were that voting in polling stations ran smoothly. The vast majority of polling station staff had worked at the 4 June European Parliamentary elections and had all attended a briefing session organised by the elections team on how to fulfil their duties on polling day. The turnout for the Norwich North by-election was 45.76% compared to 61.10% at the 2005 UK Parliamentary general election.
The count
The counting of the votes took place at the Norfolk Showground on Friday 24 July from 9am. Traditionally UK Parliamentary by-elections are counted directly after the close of poll at 10pm on the Thursday night. However, the ARO took the decision to count the Norwich North by-election ballots on Friday. This allowed him to make advance
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election
preparations after polling had closed and begin the count the following day with a refreshed counting and supervising team.
All of the 180 postal votes handed in at polling stations underwent verification of personal identifiers directly after close of poll, meaning they could simply be added into the ballots to be counted the following day. Being able to verify postal votes on polling night removed any possibility of postal vote processing delaying the start of the count.
Communication with those present at the count appeared to be sufficient, with announcements made at key points, including the opening address and welcome from the ARO. However, some announcements were difficult to hear as a result of the performance of the public address system and noise created by the large number of media representatives making live broadcasts.
Commission representatives noted that there was consistency in the decisions made in adjudicating doubtful ballot papers, and that candidates and agents observed this process.
Over 100 media representatives from local, national and international print and broadcast media were accredited by the ARO to attend the count. They were accommodated in the room adjoining the main count venue. In addition, a designated area in the count room was provided so that camera operators and reporters could work there throughout the day without encroaching on the counting process.
The results
Tables two and three below show the turnout and the results of the by-election.
Table 2: Turnout Electorate
75,124
Percentage poll
45.76%
Number of votes cast Number of rejected ballot papers
34,377 282
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election Table 3: The results by candidate Candidate
Party
Chloe Smith
Conservative
13,591
April Pond
Liberal Democrat
4,803
Chris Ostrowski Glenn Tingle
Rupert Read
Craig Murray Robert West Bill Holden Alan Hope
Anne Fryatt
Thomas Burridge Peter Baggs
Labour
UK Independence Green
Put an Honest Man into Parliament British National Independent
Monster Raving Loony NOTA
Libertarian
Independent
Votes received
6,243 4,068 3,350 953 941 166 144
Share of the vote (%) 39.54 18.16 13.97 11.83 9.74 2.77 2.74 0.48 0.4
59
0.17
23
0.07
36
0.10
Further information
Please contact: The Electoral Commission Trevelyan House Great Peter Street London SW1P 2HW
Tel: 020 7271 0500 Fax: 020 7271 0505 Email: [email protected] www.electoralcommission.org.uk
We are an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections. For more information see: www.electoralcommission.org.uk
October 2009
Norwich North by-election
The Norwich North by-election took place on 23 July 2009 following the resignation of the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Ian Gibson. This summary provides information on the administration of the resulting by-election in the Parliamentary constituency of Norwich North. The following information was obtained during the observation of the byelection by Commission representatives and from information provided by the Acting Returning Officer, Electoral Registration Officer and their staff.
Organisation
In UK Parliamentary elections in England and Wales, the Returning Officer may receive the writ, declare the result and return the writ but all other functions are carried out by the Acting Returning Officer (ARO). The ARO is a senior local government officer statutorily appointed to run the election independent of their local authority position. The ARO for the Norwich North by-election was Broadland District Council’s Chief Executive Officer Colin Bland.
The Norwich North constituency includes parts of the two council areas of Broadland District Council and Norwich City Council. In constituencies with boundaries that cross over local government borders, the Secretary of State designates the lead role to the council with the higher number of electors, in this case Broadland, which has an electorate of 47,362. Norwich has an electorate of 27,762.
Timetable
Although the short timescale for by-elections has planning implications for the ARO, a significant factor at Norwich
North was that the by-election closely followed the 4 June European Parliamentary elections, meaning that systems and procedures were already in place.
The timetable for the Norwich North by-election was 17 working days. The key dates were: • Dr Gibson resigned on 5 June 2009 and the writ of election was issued following a motion of the House of Commons on 30 June 2009. • The writ was received at Broadland on Wednesday 1 July 2009 and the Notice of Election was published on Friday 3 July.
• The closing date for the delivery of nomination papers was Wednesday 8 July.
• Applications to register to vote in the by-election, or to apply for a postal vote, had to be received by the Electoral Registration Officer by Wednesday 8 July while applications to vote by proxy (except in the case of a medical emergency) had to be received by Wednesday 15 July. • Polling day for the by-election was set as Thursday 23 July.
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election
Candidates
Twelve candidates contested the Norwich North by-election. Ten candidates stood for election as a candidate for a registered political party and two candidates stood as independent candidates. Political parties are required to be registered with the Electoral Commission if they wish their candidates to use the registered party name or one of their 12 descriptions on the ballot paper when contesting any statutory election in the UK.
Nominations
The nominations process went smoothly. The ARO offered informal checks of candidates’ nomination papers although most chose not to submit papers for an informal check. All 12 candidates who submitted nomination papers remained validly nominated.
Candidates’ election expenses
Candidates contesting a UK Parliamentary by-election are subject to a £100,000 spending limit, which is applicable from the moment a person becomes a candidate through to the date
of the poll. Expense returns with supporting receipts must be submitted to the ARO by every candidate along with a declaration from the agent, within 35 calendar days (27 August) from the date the result of the by-election is announced.
Absent voting
The management of absent voting was split between the two authorities, Broadland District and Norwich City, with each processing postal votes from the electors within their boundaries. The ARO contracted commercial suppliers to print the postal ballots. The postal ballot packs were then assembled and sent from the council offices. The process of printing and sending postal ballot packs to voters ran smoothly.
More than 300 additional electors were granted postal votes between the vacancy occurring and the deadline for postal vote applications (24 working days).
Postal ballot packs were despatched to 14,462 electors (21.91% of the eligible electorate) on 10 July. 10,509
(72.66%) completed postal votes were received by the ARO by the deadline of 10pm on polling day, representing 30.56% of the overall turnout. Norwich City held postal vote opening sessions on 20, 21, 22, and 23 July, while Broadland held opening sessions on the 21, 22 and 23 July. The ARO undertook 100% verification of postal voting statements. Both authorities opted to use electronic comparison checking software to assist in their adjudication of the personal identifiers. There were minor technical delays with scanning software at the first opening session in Norwich City. However this proved inconsequential as the ARO had allowed for multiple opening sessions. Postal voting statements that are subject to the verification of personal identifiers can be rejected for a number of reasons. In total, 257 postal votes were rejected by the ARO, representing less than 2% of those returned by the close of poll. A breakdown of the reasons for postal vote rejection is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Reasons for postal vote rejection Rejected for
Want of a signature and/or date of birth
Mismatched signature and/or date of birth
Number of postal ballots rejected 156 101
Polling Day
Our observations on polling day were that voting in polling stations ran smoothly. The vast majority of polling station staff had worked at the 4 June European Parliamentary elections and had all attended a briefing session organised by the elections team on how to fulfil their duties on polling day. The turnout for the Norwich North by-election was 45.76% compared to 61.10% at the 2005 UK Parliamentary general election.
The count
The counting of the votes took place at the Norfolk Showground on Friday 24 July from 9am. Traditionally UK Parliamentary by-elections are counted directly after the close of poll at 10pm on the Thursday night. However, the ARO took the decision to count the Norwich North by-election ballots on Friday. This allowed him to make advance
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election
preparations after polling had closed and begin the count the following day with a refreshed counting and supervising team.
All of the 180 postal votes handed in at polling stations underwent verification of personal identifiers directly after close of poll, meaning they could simply be added into the ballots to be counted the following day. Being able to verify postal votes on polling night removed any possibility of postal vote processing delaying the start of the count.
Communication with those present at the count appeared to be sufficient, with announcements made at key points, including the opening address and welcome from the ARO. However, some announcements were difficult to hear as a result of the performance of the public address system and noise created by the large number of media representatives making live broadcasts.
Commission representatives noted that there was consistency in the decisions made in adjudicating doubtful ballot papers, and that candidates and agents observed this process.
Over 100 media representatives from local, national and international print and broadcast media were accredited by the ARO to attend the count. They were accommodated in the room adjoining the main count venue. In addition, a designated area in the count room was provided so that camera operators and reporters could work there throughout the day without encroaching on the counting process.
The results
Tables two and three below show the turnout and the results of the by-election.
Table 2: Turnout Electorate
75,124
Percentage poll
45.76%
Number of votes cast Number of rejected ballot papers
34,377 282
The Electoral Commission: Norwich North by-election Table 3: The results by candidate Candidate
Party
Chloe Smith
Conservative
13,591
April Pond
Liberal Democrat
4,803
Chris Ostrowski Glenn Tingle
Rupert Read
Craig Murray Robert West Bill Holden Alan Hope
Anne Fryatt
Thomas Burridge Peter Baggs
Labour
UK Independence Green
Put an Honest Man into Parliament British National Independent
Monster Raving Loony NOTA
Libertarian
Independent
Votes received
6,243 4,068 3,350 953 941 166 144
Share of the vote (%) 39.54 18.16 13.97 11.83 9.74 2.77 2.74 0.48 0.4
59
0.17
23
0.07
36
0.10
Further information
Please contact: The Electoral Commission Trevelyan House Great Peter Street London SW1P 2HW
Tel: 020 7271 0500 Fax: 020 7271 0505 Email: [email protected] www.electoralcommission.org.uk
We are an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections. For more information see: www.electoralcommission.org.uk
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