Studying Time: 4 minutes
Up to date fifteenth April 2024
The native elections will likely be held on Thursday 2nd Could 2024. Many individuals don’t realise that native elections are greater than an opportunity to forged your vote — they’re a possibility to earn a living!
While you vote in any election, you’ll have observed the ballot clerks overseeing all the pieces.
Nevertheless, have you ever ever thought of making a bit of additional money as a ballot clerk your self? Are you able to make your self free for the entire day?
In that case, you may earn round £250 for a day’s work in a polling station. It’s a fast and straightforward money-making concept and supreme if you’re retired or a scholar.
Who Can Turn out to be a Ballot Clerk?
Anybody is eligible to behave as a ballot clerk, offering they’re over 18, literate and numerate and never have labored for a candidate standing within the present election. You have to even have the right to worok within the UK. There are some issues it’s good to declare in your software type too, together with whether or not you’re a member of a political social gathering, you’re an energetic campaigner within the elections, and in case you’re an in depth relative of a present candidate. This will not go towards your software possibilities, however it should be declared.
The one different requirement is that candidates should be on the electoral roll – in case you’re not, you actually must be. Not being on the electoral roll can damage your credit rating!
If you happen to’re not on the electoral roll you may register to vote on the Government’s official website. You can even discover your native Electoral Registration Workplace by clicking here. Alternatively, give your native authority a name.
What’s Concerned?
As a ballot clerk, you might be there to set-up the polling station and ensure correct procedure is adopted all through the day, together with after voting closes.
Your duties embrace checking individuals are eligible to vote, checking and marking electoral numbers, stamping and issuing poll papers, and, crucially, guaranteeing that votes are forged in secret and put into the poll field. For the primary time ever, all in-person voting requires photographic ID in any respect polling stations within the UK for Parliamentary elections – so that you’ll must have a superb eye for faces, since you’ll be checking voters’ IDs to verify their identification.
You reply to the Presiding Officer, who’s the official accountable for a polling station.
It’s a protracted day, normally from early morning (normally 6am) until at the very least 11pm when the voting finishes.
You can even apply to assist depend the poll papers within the night, however remember that that is, as you may most likely think about, fairly frantic work. You’ll want to have the ability to work properly underneath stress and likewise focus in busy environments.
For extra info on the duties of a ballot clerk, and the necessities to turn into one, look on the Handbook for Polling Station Staff here.
How A lot Can I Make?
The quantity you earn varies from council to council so it is determined by the place you apply.
You have to be getting at the very least £150 for the day and councils who pay essentially the most will provide £250 or extra.
To learn the way a lot your native council pays, merely go to their web site and search ‘ballot clerk’. For an inventory of native authorities in England and Wales, click here.
It’s additionally price allowing for that in case you have labored at a polling station on at the very least two different events, you may apply to turn into a Presiding Officer, which implies more cash! (For instance, a Presiding Officer in Herefordshire makes over £350 whereas in Merton, London, it is £430.
There are different roles obtainable which can not require you to be obtainable for the complete day. Bristol Council has some great videos and leaflets describing the completely different job roles and expectations.
How Do I Apply?
Often, ballot clerks have labored for his or her native council, however this expertise just isn’t a prerequisite. Most councils and native authorities have info on tips on how to turn into a ballot clerk on their web site. Both go to their web site and search ‘ballot clerk’, or just Google ‘turn into a ballot clerk’ adopted by your city, metropolis, or council. For an inventory of council web sites, click here.
Alternatively, you may name your native authority and ask for the Elections and Registration Workplace, or ship them an e mail telling them that you simply’re . They’ll ship you a type in the event that they want clerks. Don’t go away it till per week earlier than an election to use as a result of the positions will most likely already be crammed – it’s higher to use sooner somewhat than later.
Some native authorities recruit all yr spherical so you may hold making use of and be placed on a ready listing for the following election.
If you’re chosen as a ballot clerk you’ll attend a coaching/briefing session after which be sworn within the day earlier than the election.
On Election Day, a Presiding Officer oversees the entire station and can supervise and instruct you.
Have you ever ever made cash as a polling clerk? Do you’ve gotten another good cash making concepts? Tell us within the feedback part beneath – we love to listen to from you!