Electoral Administration Act 2006

33 Evaluation of pilots under section 32 U.K.

(1) After any elections specified in a pilot order have taken place, the Electoral Commission must prepare a report on the operation of the order.

(2) The report must contain, in particular—

(a) a description of the way in which the provision made by the order differed from the provisions which would otherwise have applied to the election or elections;

(b) a copy of the order;

(c) an assessment of the success or otherwise of the order in assisting voters to make informed decisions at the election or elections in question;

(d) an assessment of the success or otherwise of the order in encouraging voting at the election or elections in question;

(e) an assessment of whether the procedures provided for in the order operated satisfactorily.

(3) An assessment under subsection (2)(c) must include a statement of whether, in the opinion of the Commission, the inclusion of photographs on the ballot paper—

(a) assisted voters in marking their papers with a vote for a candidate (or with votes for candidates) for whom they had decided to vote on grounds other than the candidates' appearance;

(b) resulted in voters being influenced (or more influenced) by the appearance of candidates in deciding for whom to vote.

(4) An assessment under subsection (2)(d) must include a statement of whether, in the opinion of the Commission, the turnout of voters was higher than it would have been if the order had not applied.

(5) An assessment under subsection (2)(e) must include a statement of—

(a) whether the candidates and their agents found the procedures provided for in the order easy to use;

(b) whether the returning officer found those procedures easy to administer;

(c) whether those procedures had any effect on the incidence of malpractice (whether or not amounting to an offence) in connection with elections;

(d) the amount of any increase attributable to those procedures in the resources applied by the authority concerned to the election or elections.

(6) In making an assessment under subsection (2)(c), (d) or (e), the Commission must also apply such other criteria as are specified in the order in relation to that assessment.

(7) The local authority must give the Commission such assistance as the Commission may reasonably require in connection with the preparation of the report.

(8) The assistance may include—

(a) making arrangements for ascertaining the views of electors about the operation of the provisions of the order;

(b) reporting to the Commission allegations of electoral offences or other malpractice.

(9) The Commission must, before the end of the period of three months beginning with the date of the declaration of the result of the election or elections in question, send a copy of the report—

(a) to the Secretary of State, and

(b) to the local authority.

(10) The local authority must publish the report in their area in such manner as they think fit.

(11) In this section “pilot order” and “the local authority” must be construed in accordance with section 32.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 33 wholly in force at 1.1.2007; s. 33 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 77; s. 33 in force at 1.1.2007 by S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1, (subject to transitional provisions in Schedule 2)