Original question:

I have three questions regarding the format and production of ballot papers in the United Kingdom/England: 

1. What are the regulations when it comes to paper size/weight/format?
2. What kind of paper must be used for elections/what kind of paper should be avoided?
3. And what amount of paper is used for elections?

Many thanks for your help or recommendations regarding where I can find answers to these questions.

Links to related resources:

• Ballot Type Counting Requirements

• Production of ballot papers

• Printing of ballot papers

• Ballot Paper Design

• Materials Production

Quote from the ACE Project on basic issues for ballot papers:

"... ballot papers are one of the highest volume items of material produced for an election--and the most important one. It is essential that the design of the ballot paper is simple so that it can be clearly understood by all voters, and subsequently accurately assessed by counting staff as it is the form that translates voters' preferred party or candidate into their vote.

ACE Network Facilitator's response:

Many thanks for your question regarding various regulations for the ballot papers in the United Kingdom/England.

Your question is indeed quite specific. Our source book of United Kingdom's electoral legislation is not completely up to date, but we have found references relating to ballot papers in the Parliamentary Elections Rules, which are a Schedule to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (and are thus primary legislation), and in the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1986 (which are regulations issued under the Act).

These Rules contain provisions as to ballot paper content and prescribe that ballot papers must be printed according to a standard layout and presentation, included in an Appendix to the legal instrument, and must - among other things - be capable of being folded up and have attached a counterfoil with the same number as the ballot paper.

These provisions do not prescribe the form of paper used, except in that (1) different coloured papers are required for two or more elections held on the same day (often in practice white and grey) and in that (2) a small supply of different coloured tendered ballot papers is required for issue for example when someone who appears already to have voted appears at a polling station, and not then counted except by a court in a dispute hearing (which are often in practice pink).

For parliamentary elections, the organisation of electoral process is in the hands of the individual Returning Officer for each electoral district. The Returning Officer has discretion as to how this is achieved within the terms of the legislation, and can recover from the Treasury the expenses of printing or otherwise producing the ballot papers under the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officer Charges) Order which is updated regularly. There is no limit on the amount that can be recovered.

Additional response from Charles Lasham posted on 19 September 2006:

In the United Kingdom there are three main types of ballot papers:

• Parliamentary election ballot papers;
• Local election ballot papers; and
• European Parliamentary election ballot papers

The person responsible for the design and production of the papers is the senior election official for the different type of election. In respect of Parliamentary elections this is the duty of the Acting Returning Officer; for local elections it is the Returning Officer and for European Parliamentary elections it is the Regional Returning Officer. 

There are Rules the election official has to follow and in reality the responsibility for the design of the ballot paper is delegated to an electoral administrator.  On the day of election there are usually two officials allocated to conduct the voting at the polling station (precinct).

The presiding officer is assisted by a poll clerk. Upon entering the polling station the voter proceeds to the poll clerk and states his/her name and address and the poll clerk reads the elector number to the presiding officer. The PO marks the counterfoil of the ballot paper with the letters of the polling area and the number of the elector.

The ballot is then removed from the counterfoil and, prior to being handed to the voter, is stamped with the official mark which perforates the ballot paper. The ballot counterfoil is numbered, on its face or reverse and the ballot paper itself has an identical number on its back side. The front of the ballot paper has on it the names and parties of the candidates.

The paper is divided by horizontal lines and the same space is allocated to each candidate. Above the candidates’ names is an instruction to voters saying “vote for one candidate only” in Parliamentary and single vacancy local elections. In local elections they may have more than one vote if there is more than one vacancy in the ward.

Each candidate has a number 1, 2, 3 ….. and so on and the candidates appear on the ballot in alphabetical order of their surname and for those candidates with the same surname in alphabetical order of their forename.

At European elections the closed party list system is used and voters mark the name of the party they wish to vote for. The name of the party is shown and again alphabetical order prevails, this time in order of the party. A space for the vote is placed alongside the name of the party and listed below the party are the names of their candidates on the list. On all ballot papers, registered political parties can request that he party emblem be shown on the ballot.

The opinions expressed by members of the ACE Practitioners' Network do not necessarily reflect those of the ACE Partner organizations.