Earlier this evening, the SKWAWKBOX published images of a UKIP campaigner in a Stoke Central polling station, in breach of electoral law, along with reports of unauthorised UKIP personnel in polling stations across the constituency from early this morning.
Some have commented that ‘polling agents’ are entitled to wear rosettes in a polling station, as long as these do not carry electoral slogans, which is correct – but in many cases the people there have not been authorised tellers or polling agents, as is evidenced by the fact that formal complaints have been made by Labour to the electoral officer.
Some non-agent campaigners were temporarily allowed into polling stations because of extreme weather conditions – but these abated around 3pm, well before the images featured in the preceding article were taken.
The formal complaints are not limited to the illegitimate presence of personnel. Numerous incidents of attempted voter intimidation were reported, with UKIP campaigners immediately outside polling stations badgering voters that they had to think about Brexit and vote UKIP and refusing to be discouraged until campaigners from other parties intervened.
Spencer Breeze, a local man, tweeted about his experience of intimidating behaviour inside a polling station:
Dirty tricks @UKIP , this man was in the polling station at Willows Primary school. Tried to stop me leaving! @UKLabour pic.twitter.com/I5tlgJ0zPw
— Spencer Breeze (@SpencerBreeze) February 23, 2017
He clarified in a later tweet,
Further reports continue to filter in and will be reported as the picture becomes clearer.
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There’s no such thing as an “authorised teller”.
Tellers are, by definition, unauthorised. And encouraged by the electoral commission to wear rosettes, to indicate that they are not officials.
Electoral Commission guidance allows tellers. Hence they’re authorised – one only per station.