A number of election jobs have become available on Leicester City Council’s website since Rishi Sunak announced a new general election was to take place on Thursday, July 4.
The website explained the role of the polling station staff was to ensure that voters were able to cast their vote in secret, free from influence and in a calm atmosphere. Staff would be required to arrive at the polling station at 6.15am to set up the equipment in time for opening at 7am on July 4, it said.
On the day, staff would not be allowed to leave the premises during polling hours to maintain the secrecy of the vote and safeguard the integrity of the process. The polling station would close at 10pm.
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There are seven roles in total, including poll clerk, evening poll clerk, presiding officer, postal vote collection team, opening of postal votes, unused ballot papers team and verification and counting of ballot papers.
Some of the roles are for Thursday, July 4, and some for both polling day and the early hours of Friday, July 5. The postal vote staff will be required from Thursday, June 27 to Thursday, July 4. In order to apply for the jobs, the city council state you must be over 18 years of age, have a right to work in the UK, have a good standard of English, have not worked for a candidate standing in the election you want to work in, and be able to work for the full time period shown.
Polling Station roles available
Poll Clerk
What the website says you will do:
Working in a polling station located across Leicester, you’ll assist with the smooth running of the polling station on the day. This includes signing people in when they arrive at the station, checking their voter ID and issuing the ballot papers. Helping those who may need assistance with the voting process. You’ll be working a 16 hour day, taking appropriate breaks throughout the day. Polling station staff are not permitted to leave the premises during hours of poll.
Hours of work for this role 06:15 to 23:00, Thursday, July 4. Total pay £212.
Evening Poll Clerk
What the website says you will do:
You will be completing the same tasks as the poll clerk (as above) in the evening.
Hours of work for this role 17:15 to 22:15, Thursday, July 4. Total pay £80.
Presiding Officer
What the website says you will do:
You will be responsible for the conduct of the ballot in the polling station with a good knowledge of the voting procedures.
Hours of work for this role 06:00 to 23:00, Thursday, July 4. Total pay £344.81.
Postal Vote Collection Team
What the website says you will do:
You will be visiting around seven locations to collect postal votes, which have been handed into the polling station. The first round of visits will be between 6:00pm – 7:00pm, your second round of visits will be between 8:00pm – 9:00pm. After each round of visits you must proceed directly to Mattioli Arena, Memory Lane, to drop off any postal votes you have collected.
Hours of work for this role 18:00 to 21:00, Thursday, July 4. Total pay £53.28
Opening of Postal Votes
What the website says you will do:
You will be opening postal ballot paper envelopes, ensuring the completeness of documentation. You will be counting ballot papers into batches, whilst maintaining secrecy of the votes. You must be available to work all of the days and times stated. If all postal votes are processed on a given day, you may be released early, but you will still be paid for a minimum of 4 hours on each of the days. You must be available to stay until the completion of each session you are appointed to and have transport arrangements in place for late shifts.
Hours of work for this role 10:00 to 17:00, Thursday, June 27 to Thursday, July 4. Hourly pay £13.32.
Unused Ballot Papers Team
What the website says you will do:
You will be unpacking unused ballot papers and checking them against a ballot paper account. You will be parcelling up checked ballot papers, some calculation work is involved.
Hours of work for this role 22:00 to 02:00am, Thursday2, July 4 to Friday, July 5. Total pay £79.92.
Verification and Counting of Ballot Papers
What the website says you will do:
You will be working from 9pm until the count has finished overnight. Pay is based on six and a half hours work. Hours worked over these hours, will be paid at £19.98 per hour. Accuracy is crucial in this role. You will first verify the votes, this means confirming the number of total votes in each box. Then you will move onto sorting and counting. All votes are counted in batches of 20 and then checked by another team member. You must ensure you are able to stay until the verification and count process has been completed, even if it extends beyond the above time as this is only an estimated time and can vary if there is a high turnout or if a recount is requested – your rate of pay will be adjusted accordingly.
Hours of work for this role 21:30 Thursday, July 4 to early hours Friday, July 5. Total pay £129.87.
If you wish to apply for the roles, search “jobs” on the Leicester City Council website. Applications close on Tuesday, June 4.