2nd December 2019
Elections Guidance for Returning Officers
In the run-up to the General Election, the Cabinet Office has coordinated a range of security advice for Returning Officers. Many of these documents will be familiar to you and are publicly available, the Cabinet Office has pulled this together for you in one place for ease of reference.
The Cabinet Office also asks for your support in encouraging candidates in your region to attend local Police forces briefing sessions.
| Guidance | Guidance Owner | Key Contact | Description | Audience | Link |
| Letter from Martin Hewitt | NPCC | Local Police Points of Contact (see letter Annex) | Outlines Police protective security measures available for yourself and candidates.
Includes an appendix of D/Supts who will be the senior police contact points. |
Returning Officers | |
| Election Security for Polling Stations and Counting Officers | NaTSO | Local Police Points of Contact (see letter Annex) | Assists Returning Officers to develop a security plan to avoid major disruption to the election process. | Returning Officers
Presiding Officers and poll clerks |
|
| Online Security Information | DCMS | N/A | Directs candidates to guidance issued by social media platforms including how to report online abuse. | Returning Officers for awareness | |
| Cyber Security Guidance for Local Authorities | NCSC | Report and incident: report.ncsc.gov.uk or incidents@ncsc.gov.uk
Enquiries: enquiries@ncsc.gov.uk
|
Reminders around good cyber security practices for the systems that support the delivery of UK elections. | IT departments
Returning Officers for awareness
Electoral administrators |
Link |
| My Digital Footprint | CPNI | N/A | Describes what individual’s digital footprints are and suggests simple ways to manage it. | Returning Officers for awareness | Link |
| RESIST Toolkit | Government Communications Service | N/A | Guidance on how to identify a range of different types of disinformation and help you prevent and tackle the spread. | Returning Officers for awareness | Link |