Face-to-face campaigning in local elections may not be written off completely, MPs told

Officials are expecting an increase in the number of postal votes cast in May’s local elections as it was suggested face-to-face campaigning may yet be able to go ahead.

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee heard today how following the Government’s announcement that local elections - including selecting West Yorkshire’s first metro mayor - would go ahead in three months time, more detail needed to be given about the plans to be put in place.

Aisla Irvine, Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance at the Electoral Commission, said from their work they had found “around a quarter of returning officers have expressed moderate to significant concerns that it is going to be a challenge for them to process these applications”.

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And she said: “From a point of view of postal voting, I think we can expect to see an increase in levels of postal voting, we've been encouraging local authorities to think about how they will plan for and resource such an increase in postal voting, particularly if there's a peak in applications close to the deadline.”

Stock image of a ballot box. Photo: JPI MediaStock image of a ballot box. Photo: JPI Media
Stock image of a ballot box. Photo: JPI Media

MPs heard how local authorities were being urged to encourage people to register for postal votes early, to avoid a last-minute rush, and that lessons had been learned from the December 2019 election where postal votes were also higher due to the time of the year.

And they were also told campaigners would have to “think differently” after ministers said they would publish specific guidance on face-to-face campaigning after consulting political parties.

Ms Irvine said: “I think in the same way as we've been hearing about electoral administrators having to think about how they run polling stations and run things very differently, campaigners are likewise going to have to think similarly.

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“From the survey work that we've done, I think we found that around 69 per cent of people had intended to use door to door campaigning as part of their campaign. So that is a significant percentage of candidates, parties, that are going to have to think differently about how they're doing it.”

But she said there she did not think “the door is necessarily completely closed on such campaigning” although Government restrictions currently forbade it.

“I think it would be important that that is kept under review as we get closer to the poll and that the impact is fully understood and considered in reaching any final decisions as we get into the regulated period for the elections,” she said.

James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), added: “While we might all try and use social media and all of those good things, it isn't quite the same as getting regular information from a leaflet, or actually meeting the candidate in person.

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“And while I completely agree during this pandemic it would be completely inappropriate to have thousands of candidates wandering all around the country on doors, I do think we need a certain amount of clarity about what can and can't be allowed and when can and can't it be allowed.”

The Government announced last week that voters will have to bring their own pencil to mark their ballot paper under new coronavirus safety rules, as the Cabinet Office confirmed that “Covid-secure” polls would be held as planned.

Voters will have to wear face coverings inside polling stations, and proxy voting rules will be changed so that people who have to self-isolate can request an emergency proxy vote up to 5pm on polling day.

The Cabinet Office said all nine priority cohorts – covering those aged 50 and over – are expected to have received coronavirus vaccines by May, meaning the Government can commit “with confidence” to the polls going ahead.

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A bumper set of elections are due to be held across Great Britain on “Super Thursday” – May 6 – including a number of contests postponed from 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In London, there will be elections for the mayor and assembly, which were originally due to take place last year.

And across the rest of England, voters will be choosing a mixture of councillors, local mayors, regional mayors and police commissioners.

Voters in Scotland and Wales will be choosing new parliaments – though a decision on whether these will go ahead will be made by their respective governments.

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The scale of “Super Thursday” means that every voter in Great Britain will be able to take part in at least one type of poll, making it the biggest event of its kind outside a general election.

It will also be the first big electoral test for Sir Keir Starmer since he became Labour leader in April 2020, and for Prime Minister Boris Johnson since his general election victory in December 2019.