I’ve always said that as a returning officer, running a successful election doesn’t necessarily enhance your career as a chief executive, but running one with significant mishaps is definitely career limiting.
This is ever more the case in an environment where the extent of the failure, culpability and accountability is measured in media volume rather than scale of failure and its relative impact.
I’m sure I wasn’t alone in sparing a thought for Barnet’s returning officer and elections team in May’s elections, when a number of voters were initially disfranchised after the wrong (ie, incomplete) registers were placed in ballot boxes and polling stations opened without full registers.
The matter was recovered within a few hours of polls opening, but by then news and social media was in full swing. Of course, one voter disenfranchised is one too many and is every returning officer’s worst nightmare.
Show me the returning officer who hasn’t faced a hiccup in the democratic process, and I would venture to suggest that he or she may not be that close to matters on the ground. I have had my fair share in the places I have worked, with some mistakes that could have been predicted and were caused, almost always, by human error. Thankfully, none were catastrophic or (touch wood) career-limiting.
As with every election, success lies in the planning and checking. Plan, train, do it, check it and check it again. Have contingency plans in place. When things do go wrong, communicate, communicate and communicate some more. Say what’s gone wrong, what you are doing to fix it and what voters can do to help. Use the media and social media to communicate, helping to solve the problem, rather than adding to the problem, and do it immediately. Agility and fleetness of foot are the order of the day.
We are all in the throes of the UK’s largest ever referendum, so make sure your plans are in place and make sure your teams have all the resources they need to deliver a successful referendum.
Elections are, or should be, a whole council activity. Make sure there are appropriate checks. Those who do the work should not be the people who check the tasks are done correctly. Proper planning will ensure separation of duties.
Proper planning and checks are essential. Use the whole of the council to deliver the democratic process – it’s the returning officer’s right to accompany their personal responsibility and liability. And if things do go wrong, make sure you’re close enough to know immediately, act immediately and get your communication out immediately. Does your team know that you need to know, immediately?
Since May I have rechecked our arrangements for the ballot. I’m sure I’m not the only returning officer to have done so. If you haven’t done it yet, then you should before 23 June. Here’s to a well-run, professionally delivered EU referendum. It’s what we do, and do well.
Jo Miller is chief executive and returning officer of Doncaster council, and deputy spokesperson on elections and democratic renewal for Solace.
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