Regional Returning Officer—RRO

This is a term used in European Parliamentary Elections. There is a Regional Returning Officer for each of the UK's 12 European Parliamentary regions, who is responsible for organising a fair and accurate election. They are responsible for the oversight of the arrangements and counting of the European Parliamentary elections. The RRO in each electoral region will be responsible for:

• All aspects of the nomination procedure;
• Determining the form of the ballot papers and, if the RRO decides, printing and arranging for the distribution to LROs of the ballot papers;
• Authorising the announcement locally of the count results in each LROs area;
• Calculating the results of the election within the region and allocating seats to candidates;
• Announcing the results of the elections for the electoral region and publishing the results of the election; and
• Notifying the names and other details of elected MEPs to the Secretary of State.

In London, the Greater London Returning Officer was the Returning Officer for 2004 and also conducted the elections for the Mayor of London and the Greater London Assembly. In Northern Ireland, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is the Regional Returning Officer.

Local Returning Officer—LRO

There are a number of Local Authorities within each of the 12 electoral regions.

There is one Local Returning Officer for each of these local authorities. There are approximately 400 Local Returning Officers in Great Britain. Each local authority within the region conducts their segment of the European Parliamentary election, and any scheduled local elections are under the guidance of the LRO. They are responsible in their respective local authority areas, or in Scottish constituencies, for:

• The conduct of the poll;
• The issue and receipt of postal ballot papers and postal proxy ballot papers;
• The verification of the ballot paper accounts;
• The counting of the votes in their local authority area or in Scottish constituencies; and
• Unless the RRO directs otherwise, the LRO is also responsible for the printing of the ballot papers to be used in that area.

LROs can appoint the numbers of staff they consider necessary for the election, including the despatch and receipt of postal ballot papers and presiding officers and polling clerks for polling stations. There are many polling stations within each local authority and the LRO oversees each of these polling stations.

A Local Returning Officer is a term used only in European Parliamentary Elections. This is the same person as the Borough Returning Officer in Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.

Electoral Administrators

Electoral Administrators are officers of the local authority who undertake the compilation of the electoral register and who administer elections. They work for the Returning Officer. At election times they will hire premises to be used as polling stations and count venues, hire and train staff to work in the polling stations and as count assistants, receive nomination papers and arrange for the production of ballot papers, and all other work associated with the running of the election. At election times, it is the electoral administrators who candidates and agents will have most contact with for day to day matters.

Presiding Officers

There are approximately 50,000 Presiding Officers in Great Britain. Presiding Officers are generally required to run a polling station on the day of the election and report to the Local Returning Officer for the Local Authority.

Poll Clerks

There are approximately 100,000 Polling Clerks across Great Britain.

Poll Clerks are appointed to assist presiding officers in the performance of their duties.

Constituency Returning Officer

In London, elections were also held for the London Mayor and the London Assembly. London Assembly Constituencies are made up of two to four London boroughs. The Borough Returning Officer (in 2004 this is the Local Returning Officer) of the Constituency's largest borough becomes its Constituency Returning Officer. The Constituency Returning Officer announces the results of the voting for the Constituency Assembly Member.