Did you Know ... Fascinating Elections Facts

In 1974 Epping Forest District Council chose an election cycle of thirds (as opposed to a entire election every 4 years) as it was thought that the elected members of the Council would be more representative of public opinion if there was an election each year.

Nearly one in 10 people who are eligible to vote are currently not registered to do so. Research carried out by the Electoral Commission shows many people are confused about how to get on the electoral register and the benefits of being on it.

87% of people wrongly assume they are registered because they have signed up for council tax payments.

Nearly a third of people don’t realise they have to complete a registration form each year to stay on the electoral register.

There are 32 Wards in the Epping Forest District represented by 58 Councillors for a population of 122,200 (based on a population projection by the National Statistics office) and an electorate of 95,500. A Ward is an area of the District that is represented by 1, 2 or 3 Councillors and designed to ensure that the electorate number per Councillor is broadly equal throughout the District.

There are over 70 polling stations in the Epping Forest District. These are located in Polling Districts and designed to be readily accessible to the local voters. Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm only.

The Returning Officer is the person responsible for running elections. It is the Returning Officer’s personal responsibility (and not the Council's), for the proper administration of all the election processes for which he/she is ultimately accountable though the Courts. The Returning Officer for the Epping Forest District is Ian Willett and he has the power to call on all the resources of the Council to run Council elections.

Counting is done in 2 stages - Stage 1 is to verify the number of ballot papers received at the count is the same as the number issued at the polling station. Stage 2 is to count the votes cast for each candidate (removing any spoiled papers) and to ensure the number of votes matches the totals agreed in stage 1.

A recount can be requested by a candidate or their election agent. This is normally due to the closeness of the result but can be refused by the Returning Officer if they believe the request to be unreasonable.

A newly elected Councillor can only represent his/her Ward after signing a Declaration of Acceptance of Office. This must be done within 2 months of the election day. If the Declaration of Acceptance of Office is not signed within the 2 month period, the seat to which the Councillor is elected becomes vacant and a By-election is held.

Who pays for elections? Epping Forest District Council sets a budget each year for elections that the Returning Officer can call upon at any time for any election expenses incurred.

The Councillor Census 2006 is a study of local authority councillors in England since 1997 which provides a unique insight into member attitudes

Click here for Census 2006 details

The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament to regulate electoral practices, increase confidence in voting and encourage people to vote.

Click here to visit the Electoral Commission website

Contact Electoral Services on 01992 564411