Teller (elections)
A teller is a person who counts the votes in an election, vote or poll. Tellers are also known as scrutineers, poll-watchers, challengers or checkers.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, tellers are people working on behalf of political parties (usually as volunteers) who stand or sit outside the polling station and collect the electoral registration numbers of voters as they enter or leave. They play no official part in the election, but their work helps their parties to identify supporters who have not yet voted, so that they can be contacted and encouraged to vote, and offered assistance—such as transport to the polling station—if necessary. Police officers may intervene if tellers “irritate voters, exert undue influence or obstruct the polling station.” [1][2][3][4]
Sometimes, some or all of the main parties might reach an agreement to take shifts, and pass on their lists to the other parties; however it is commonplace to see several tellers outside a polling station.
See also
References
- ^ "Electoral alert 30 - Review of guidance for tellers at polling stations (Issues paper)" (PDF). Electoral Commission (United Kingdom). 2005-10-07. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
2.2 Tellers traditionally attend polling stations to monitor and assess levels of local party support. They sit outside polling stations or inside if there is a convenient space separate from the polling area. They usually ask voters for their polling number when they leave the polling station. The purpose is to identify local supporters who have not yet voted in order that other party activists can urge them to vote before the close of poll. However the activities of tellers have in the past been a source of conflict.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|quote=at position 88 (help) - ^ Electoral Commission (United Kingdom), Association of Chief Police Officers (2006). "Pocket Guide: Guidance to police officers, Local elections May 2006" (PDF). CENTREX. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
Where tellers, or others, irritate voters, exert undue influence or obstruct the polling station, the Presiding Officer may seek assistance from the police to resolve the matter.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|quote=at position 18 (help) - ^ http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070226/debtext/70226-0017.htm. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 2007-02-26. col. 706.
When I first became involved in politics, there was a clear unwritten convention that on polling day one did not take a loudspeaker anywhere near a polling station. One did not hand out literature at the entrances to polling stations. All that tellers did was take numbers.
{{cite book}}:|chapter-url=missing title (help) - ^ "Becoming a councillor FAQ: What is the role of the tellers?". Walsall Council. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
External links
- Electoral Commission UK Guidelines
- New Zealand Guidelines
- Canadian guidelines
- Becoming a councillor FAQ: What is the role of the tellers? – Walsall Council, UK
 | This article about politics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |