Working at elections
Have you ever thought of getting involved at election time by either working at a polling station or at the count?
The electoral services team are always looking to recruit motivated and dynamic staff to fill any vacancies that may come up. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in becoming involved.
Working at a Polling Station
The Returning Officer appoints Polling Station staff. Polling staff are responsible for the conduct of the ballot and making sure that the proper voting procedures are followed.
On the day of the election, polling staff are on duty from 6:00am until shortly after 10:00pm.
All polling station staff must attend a training session before taking up their appointment.
Working at the Count
Counting assistants are also appointed by the Returning Officer. Their role is to verify and count the votes cast at polling stations, together with the postal votes received in the run-up to polling day.
Verification and counting may take place after the polls close (10pm on polling day), or the following morning.
The count is usually held at the Neath Sports Centre, Court Herbert. For local elections it is split between:
- the Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot
- Pontardawe Leisure Centre
- Neath Sports Centre
Eligibility
To work at elections, you must:
- be at least 18 years olds
- be entitled to work in the UK
- not be employed by or related to a potential candidate
- not work on behalf of a candidate or political party
Apply
If you are interested in applying please contact the elections team using the attached short online form:-
An e-mail invitation and link to the Election Staffing Portal allowing you to set up your personal secure profile page will then be sent out to you.
After you apply
In offering a role we will consider a person’s:
- experience
- availability
- where they live
All appointments are temporary. If successful, you will be employed by the Returning Officer.
Being appointed to work at an election is not a guarantee of work at future elections.
If you agree, we will keep your details for future vacancies if we can't appoint you to a role straight away.
More information
Casual election roles are employed by the Returning Officer and not the Council.
The Council’s employee terms and conditions and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme do not apply for casual election roles.
Elections are paid on a Pay As you Earn (PAYE) basis, which means that tax may be deducted from earnings. However fees paid for election work are exempt from National Insurance contributions.
Further advice: