Useful Links
Links to other sites
The Association is not the only organisation with an interest or involvement in electoral matters. Here you will find links to and information about other bodies, some of whom the Association has developed relationships and understandings with, both formal and informal, over many years.
The Ace Project
A joint project of the United Nations, International IDEA and IFES.
The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network www.aceproject.org – the next generation of the Administration and Cost of Elections Web site — is now live. With the launch of the Network, we make available new tools and resources for electoral practitioners around the world. The new Web site provides a ready environment for professionals to generate, share and apply knowledge on managing elections.
New features include:
- An updated ACE Encyclopaedia that includes authoritative resources on electoral administration
- An interactive Comparative Data Section that allows you to compare data from different countries
- An online collection of Electoral Materials that includes reports, manuals and other hands-on materials from around the world that is searchable by region, document type or topic area
- An online newsletter (Elections Today) that provides the latest news on elections around the world
- Access to Regional and Country-level Resources
- An Online Demonstration of several features that enable professionals to interact and build knowledge on elections administration.
Visit ACE today at www.aceproject.org.
To receive additional information about the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, please visit www.ace.at.org/registration.
ACEEEO
The Association is an active member of Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials.
Access To Elected Office Fund
www.access-to-elected-office-fund.org.uk
The Access to Elected Office Fund offers individual grants of between £250 and £20,000 to disabled people who want to be selected as candidates for an election, or who are standing for election.
The 2010 cross-Party Speaker’s Conference Report on increasing diversity in political life identified that disabled people continue to be under-represented in our political institutions. Yet they have valuable skills, insights and experiences to contribute to local and central government.
To address the under-representation of disabled people at local and national levels, the Government, in partnership with the disability sector and main parties, developed the Access to Elected Office Strategy, including a new £2.6 million grant fund.
The grants help meet the additional disability related costs that a disabled person incurs as part of standing for selection or election, for example, additional travel expenses, or carer support.
If this support were not provided, a disabled person may face an additional barrier in the selection and campaign processes compared to a non-disabled person.
The Fund is administered independently of Government and provides support for disabled people who want to stand either for political parties or as independent candidates for the following elections and by-elections: UK Westminster elections, English local authority elections, English Mayoral elections and elections for Police and Crime Commissioners.
Find out more about the Access to Elected Office Fund and how to apply by visiting www.access-to-elected-office-fund.org.uk or by following @ATEOFund on Twitter.
You can also email enquiries@access-to-elected-office-fund.org.uk or call 08458 645340.
Central Government
The Cabinet Office now has responsibility for policy, including for reform and modernisation, for House of Commons and all elections in England and Wales, and for co-ordination on UK wide electoral matters.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) is responsible for when local government elections are held - i.e. for the cycle of local elections to local authorities in England. It is also responsible for the legislation that governs the review and updating of electoral arrangements within local authorities. Responsibility for all other aspects of local government elections has passed to the Cabinet Office.
The Association maintains close links with Ministers and Civil Servants in both of the aforementioned departments.
The UK Government, in particular the Secretary of State for Scotland, has responsibility for the conduct and funding of elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament and Executive are responsible for local government elections in Scotland, including electoral systems and the timing and administration of elections.
The UK Government, in particular the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has responsibility for electoral law relating to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Northern Ireland Office has responsibility for all local elections in Northern Ireland.
The UK Government, in particular the Secretary of State for Wales, has responsibility for electoral law relating to the National Assembly for Wales.
Democratic Audit
Democratic Audit is an independent research organisation, established as a not-for-profit company, and based at the University of Liverpool. Its core objective is to advance education, and to undertake and promote research into, the quality and effectiveness of UK democracy. It is grant funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust to conduct research into the quality of democracy in the UK. It also monitors democracy and freedom in Britain through a series of democracy assessments, reports and commissions, and through evidence to Parliament and official bodies.
The Electoral Commission
www.electoralcommission.org.uk
The Association has established a close working relationship with the Electoral Commission.
The Commission is a body independent of government, nonpartisan and directly accountable to Parliament. The appointment of the Chairman and Commissioners is subject to approval by HM The Queen.
The Commission has a United Kingdom wide brief. Its functions are concerned with the new regulatory framework for the reporting of donations, the ban on foreign donations and the controls on campaign spending at parliamentary and other elections. It will maintain the register of political parties and regulate how they account for their income and expenditure. The Commission has supervisory powers to monitor compliance with the new arrangements.
Its statutory duties include:
- Publishing reports on the administration of elections
- Conducting reviews of the law and practice relating to elections and referendums
- Promoting awareness of electoral and democratic systems
- Being consulted on proposed changes to electoral law
- Giving advice and assistance to those involved in the electoral process
- Participation in pilot schemes for innovative electoral procedures
- Conducting national referendums
- Advising on matters relating to political broadcasting
- Monitoring compliance with the controls on election campaign spending
- Maintaining the register of political parties
- Maintaining the register of recognised third parties
- Maintaining the register of permitted participants in a referendum
- Maintaining a register of those making political donations
The Commission has absorbed the functions of the Local Government Commission for England which had responsibility for reviewing local electoral boundaries. The functions of the corresponding bodies in Scotland and Wales to be transferred to the Commission subject to the agreement of the devolved legislatures.
In the longer term the Commission will absorb the functions of the bodies responsible for reviewing parliamentary boundaries in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Commission is required to issue an annual report.
Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government
The Society exists to promote research, discussion and greater public understanding of all issues affecting parliamentary government. From time to time, the Society arranges public meetings on subjects of topical interest, and has also arranged to assist the study of particular topics in greater depth. The AEA Chairman and Secretary are members of the Society and thus receive all papers, etc., which are available at all times to any interested member.
The Society and the Association have collaborated on programmes to promote greater understanding of electoral issues amongst school students, and in June 1997 organised a joint one-day event to study the lessons of the May 1997 General Election.
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
IFES is a global leader in election assistance and democracy promotion. It promotes democratic stability by providing technical assistance and applying field-based research to the electoral cycle in countries around the world to enhance citizen participation and strengthen civil societies, governance and transparency.
Local Government Boundary Commission for England
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) was established by Parliament under the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. Independent of central and local government, and political parties, it is directly accountable to Parliament through a committee of MPs chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons.
The Commission's objectives are:
- To provide electoral arrangements for English principal local authorities that are fair and deliver electoral equality for voters
- To keep the map of English local government in good repair and work with principal local authorities to help them deliver effective and convenient local government to citizens
The Commission is responsible for, among other things, conducting three main types of review of local government:
- Electoral Reviews – reviews of the electoral arrangements of local authorities;
- Principal Area Boundary Reviews – reviews of the boundaries between local authorities;
- Structural Reviews - Advising the Secretary of State, at his request, on proposals he receives from local authorities to change from two-tier to unitary local government
The Commission's website is www.lgbce.org.uk.
The website features:
- Documents relating to current and completed reviews, including submissions made to the Commission and reports of the Commission's recommendations
- Technical guidance for electoral and boundary reviews
- Community Governance Review guidance
- A database of orders changing electoral arrangements, areas and names of local authorities in England since 1973
LGC Elections Centre - University of Plymouth
The Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre at the University of Plymouth was established in 1985. Its directors are Professor Colin Rallings and Professor Michael Thrasher.
The Centre aims to compile, analyse and publish information relating to all aspects of electoral politics in Britain. It has built a substantial reputation for the quality and reliability of its work in both the academic and applied fields. The Centre's research was 'flagged' for its quality by both the 1996 and 2001 Research Assessment Exercises (RAE).
National Association of Local Councils
109 Great Russell Street
London
WC1B 3LD
Tel: 020 7637 1865
The NALC represents the interests of town and parish councils in England - a total of around 8,500 councils. Working with, and for their member councils, NALC is actively involved in lobbying government at a national level to advance and protect the interests of these councils, and their communities.
It provides support and advice to its members directly through a network of county associations. They are committed to developing the role of town and parish councils, in order that they can represent the communities which they serve effectively and be at the forefront of community leadership.
The National Association represents the interests of welsh community and town councils via One Voice Wales in UK wide parliamentary and legal matters.
Political Science Resources
This is a very interesting and useful facility with a wealth of information, reports and articles on a wide range of issues associated with politics both in the UK and abroad, including a section on electoral matters.
Polls Apart
At the 2005 General Election 68% of polling stations had one or more access barriers to disabled people. Scope's Polls Apart campaign aims to end disabled people's exclusion by providing information on disabled people's voting rights and guidance for electoral administrators. Scope have launched a website which contains information on over 22,000 polling stations. You can find information, or provide updates to your Local Authority area by going to the website at the above address.
SOLACE
The Association successfully collaborates with SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) on a range of training and associated projects to ensure that the highest quality materials and training are available to all involved in the administration of elections in the UK.
United Response
This site is part of the "Every Vote Counts" campaign and is funded by the Electoral Commission.