A teller is a person who counts votes in an election, vote, referendum or poll. Tellers are also known as scrutineers, poll-watchers, challengers or checkers.
They should be distinguished from
polling agents and
counting agents who officially represent candidates.
United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, tellers work on behalf of
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
(usually as volunteers). They stand or sit outside the
polling station
A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English, British English and Canadian English although a polling place is the building and polling station is the specific ...
and collect electoral registration numbers (poll numbers) of voters as they enter or leave. They play no official part in the election and voters are under no obligation to speak with them. They are not
polling agents, so they have no official rights, such as to enter the polling station. If asked, the tellers must explain they are not officials and why they are collecting poll numbers.
Tellers help their parties identify supporters who have not yet voted, so that they can be contacted and encouraged to vote, and offered assistance—such as transport to the polling station—if necessary. In as far as this increases turn-out, it may be said to be "good" for the democratic process, since a higher
voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
is generally a stated objective.
Police officers may intervene if tellers "irritate voters, exert
undue influence
Undue influence (UI) is a psychological process by which a person's free will and judgement is supplanted by that of another. It is a legal term and the strict definition varies by jurisdiction. Generally speaking, it is a means by which a person ...
or obstruct the polling station."
Sometimes, some or all of the main parties might reach an agreement to take shifts, and pass on their lists to the other parties; however it is commonplace to see several tellers outside a polling station.
After the May 2005 Northern Ireland elections, the
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
concluded that some candidates'
polling agents unlawfully assisted with identifying supporters who had not yet voted, by passing information from inside the polling place to other party workers. This information is not normally available to parties unless voters give it voluntarily to tellers.
Other assemblies
In other
deliberative assemblies, such as
voluntary association
A voluntary group or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, common-interest association, association, or society) is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement, usually as volunteers, to form a body (or organization) to a ...
s, elections and other matters of importance are frequently voted on by ballot. Tellers are appointed to count those ballots. Normally, the chairman appoints the tellers unless the organization's rules provide that tellers are appointed another way, such as appointment of an elections
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
. The tellers are chosen for their accuracy and dependability, are not directly involved on what is being voted in, and usually are allowed to vote themselves.
See also
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Ballot
A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...
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Ballot box
A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually a square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cas ...
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Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...
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Secret ballot
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
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Voting
Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representative ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Guidance on the conduct of tellers in and around polling places Electoral Commission UK, (PDF, 4 pages.)
Canadian guidelines
– Walsall Council, UK
Elections