The value of poll worker voice in the delivery of elections

James, Toby S. and Clark, Alistair (2025) The value of poll worker voice in the delivery of elections. Policy & Politics. pp. 1-22. ISSN 0305-5736

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Abstract

Elections are the pivotal political institution used to confer legitimacy in almost all states. Decision-making on election policy is usually elite-driven and top-down in nature. This article applies the concept of workplace democracy, originally proposed by Carole Pateman, to explore the voices of poll workers involved in delivering elections on the ground. Theories of workplace democracy argue participation should not be limited to the ballot box – but should also include other voices with views on how an organisation is run. The article uses original data from poll workers who implemented an important election policy reform, voter identification, at the first country-wide English elections which made this a formal requirement. It explores their views about how the electoral process could be improved. It argues that poll workers’ perspectives are important to facilitate bottom-up policy design and learning – and to detect democratic defects. Poll workers reported virtually no suspected cases of personation - although this was no different to previous elections. Voter identification did, however, restrict legitimate participation, particularly women. Poll workers made several suggestions for improving the voter experience. Listening to these voices provides an important input to strengthen electoral democracy with bottom-up voices contributing to the design of political institutions.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Acknowledgements: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Voter Identification Workshop, 13 October 2023, Oxford University.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	elections,electoral integrity,democracy,public administration,sdg 16 - peace, justice and strong institutions ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2025 14:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99832
DOI:	10.1332/03055736Y2025D000000073

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