EU Referendum – Chief Counting Officer briefing for registered campaigners

1. The following presentation was used by the CCO to brief the designated campaigners and can be used as the basis for any local briefings

2. EU Referendum – Chief Counting Officer briefing for registered campaigners April 2016

3. Referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union 23 June 2016

4. Management framework for the referendum • Referendums have a different management and accountability structure to elections: • Chief Counting Officer - Jenny Watson • Deputy Chief Counting Officer – Andrew Scallan • Regional Counting Officers • Counting Officers

5. Role of the Chief Counting Officer • Responsible for overall conduct of the referendum and certifying the result • Power of direction over COs and RCOs in relation to the delivery of their functions, including taking specified steps to prepare and providing information • Provision of guidance to support COs with preparing for and delivering the poll • CCO’s role distinct from Electoral Commission role

6. Directions • Notice of referendum • Ballot papers • Polling stations • Poll card delivery dates • Postal vote despatch and delivery dates for UK and overseas electors • Use of international business response licenses for overseas postal votes • Royal Mail sweeps • Timing of count • Method of verification and count • Monitoring the performance of Counting Officers

7. Campaigners’ entitlements Registered campaigners are entitled to: • Access to the electoral register and lists of absent voters • Can only be used to help your campaign and to check the permissibility of donations • Attendance at key referendum proceedings • Postal vote openings • Polling stations • Count

8. Postal voting • Code of conduct for campaigners • Absent vote applications • Postal ballot packs • Attendance at postal vote opening sessions • Appointment of postal voting agents • Importance of maintaining secrecy

9. Polling day • Polling stations open from 7am to 10pm • Campaigning outside polling stations • You are allowed to put your messages to voters on polling day, including in public spaces outside polling places BUT • Keep access to polling places and the pavements around polling places clear to allow voters to enter • Comply with the requests of polling station staff

10. Verification and count • Verification and counting of votes to start at 10pm • Attendance at the count • Key stages in the process • Verification • Counting • Adjudication of doubtful ballot papers • Provisional local totals • Recounts • May be requested by designated counting agent or referendum agent • No provision for a ’regional’ or ‘national’ recount

11. Collation and calculation of the result • Structure of the verification and count • Voting areas (Counting Officers) • Counting Officers count the votes for their area • Submit local total for the RCO to approve • Declare the local total • Regional count collation hubs (RCO) • RCO collates the local totals for the electoral region and submits regional total for the CCO to approve • Declare the regional total • National hub (Chief Counting Officer) • CCO calculates result from the regional totals and the local total for Northern Ireland • Declare the referendum result

12. Any questions?