PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Elections (8 June 2021)

To ask the hon. Member for City of Chester, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to ensure that the guidance and standards it produces are clear and accessible to voters, candidates, and others involved in the electoral process.

Asked by:
Dr Kieran Mullan (Conservative)

The Electoral Commission provides expert advice and guidance to help electoral administrators, political parties and campaigners, and candidates and agents to understand and comply with electoral law.

Its guidance is developed in consultation with the electoral community, and is informed by ongoing discussions with electoral administrators and parties and campaigners, including through the Political Parties Panels. The Commission also gethers feedback from stakeholders following elections, to inform its approach to future polls.

The Commission's guidance is published on its website, which has been subject to user-testing to ensure accessibility and recently redesigned to make finding information easier.

The Commission also provides information to voters to enable them to participate in the democratic process with confidence, including through public awareness campaigns. These are tested with members of the public and third-party organisations to ensure they work effectively for audiences before they are launched.

Answered by:
Christian Matheson (Independent)
10 June 2021