Election Staffing
Have you ever thought of getting involved at election time by working at a polling station, assisting with the count or by supporting our postal vote opening sessions?
Working on elections is an exciting, fast-paced, and rewarding experience.
For more information about getting involved, please explore this webpage.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Electoral Services Team by using the details at the end of this page.
What is the eligibility criteria to join the election staff database?
You must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be entitled to work in the UK (in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) and can provide proof of this entitlement
- Consent to working in excess of normal working hours directive (as outlined in The Working Times Regulations 1998)
In addition, we stipulate that you must not:
- Be employed by, or act on behalf of, any candidate or political party during an election, whether paid or unpaid
- Have any relations to or with any prospective candidate at an election. This includes any close relationships, such as family relationships or a partner
- Subscribe to a candidate’s nomination paper at an election
We rely on the honesty of our staff to declare any conflicts of interest at an election. If you are found to have a conflict, any offer of appointment will be withdrawn, and you may not be offered employment with us again on future elections.
We expect anyone working at an election to act impartially and to be polite and professional when dealing with voters, candidates and agents, representatives of the Electoral Commission and any accredited observers. You will be required to comply with secrecy requirements. Details of these requirements for each type of election can be found linked below:
When is election work available?
Scheduled elections usually take place on the first Thursday of May. By-elections can take place at any other time of the year, and on any weekday.
What type of vacancies are available?
We welcome applications from individuals who are interested in joining our database and who wish to work one or more of the following roles. Please click on each role to view its job description:
What is the process for applying for election work?
We are currently not accepting new applications to join our database. If you wish to be notified when the application process reopens, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this page.
Other FAQS
Appointments for the elections are temporary and made by the Returning Officer, rather than the Council.
We focus on internal recruitment in the first instance, and supplement this with additional external staff.
We typically operate on a first come, first serve basis – however we must also consider location preferences and staff experience/performance at previous elections (where applicable).
If staff have expressed a preference for a particular role, location or to work with certain colleagues, we will try to accommodate this request, however the overall needs of the election will take precedence. We encourage our staff to be as flexible as possible to increase their chances in securing a position at the election.
We must stress that being appointed to work at an election is not a guarantee of work at future elections. The work available depends on the number of applications and available vacancies, likewise the performance of staff in their appointed roles. We also cannot guarantee that you will always work with the same people or in the same location.
Training will be provided for certain jobs at the election.
Presiding Officers, Poll Clerks and Polling Station Stewards must take part in face-to-face training delivered at the Mid Sussex District Council Offices. This will be delivered in advance of polling day. Details about our training sessions will be contained in our appointment letters.
Count Assistants will be briefed on the day of the Count about what they will need to do before the Count commences.
Postal Vote Assistants will receive on-the-job training once postal vote opening sessions commence.
For any other positions you may be interested in, please contact the Electoral Services Team for further information.
You will be supported by experienced staff.
If you are employed to work in a polling station, you will usually be working with at least one or two other people.
If you are employed to work at a Count, you will be part of a bigger team with other counting assistants and supervisors.
For all other positions, you will always be working as part of a team, the size of which will vary.
Pay rates vary depending on the type of role, the type of election and arrangements for events such as the count.
The amount we pay for each role is regularly reviewed.
Payments for attending training and travel expenses may also be made where appropriate.
All payments are subject to tax on a PAYE basis but are exempt from national insurance contributions. Please note that any election work you do may affect any benefit or state pension you receive. You will be responsible for informing your benefit or pension provider about your earnings.
If at any time you wish to remove your details from the database or you have a change of personal details, please notify the Electoral Services Team by e-mail at staffingelections@midsussex.gov.uk or via telephone on 01444 477003.
Contact us
Tel: 01444-477003
Email: staffingelections@midsussex.gov.uk