Polling Review 2023

Views were sought on Mid Devon polling districts and stations.

Every five years the Council must conduct a full review of its parliamentary polling districts and places to ensure:

• Each parish has a separate polling district;
• That there is a designated polling place for each district (unless special circumstances apply), and;
• All polling stations are accessible.
  The review did not look at altering boundaries or names of electoral areas.

We held a public consultation from 2 October to 12 November 2023 so that you could feedback on proposed changes and make further suggestions or comments regarding polling districts and places in Mid Devon. Following an initial review to accommodate new parliamentary constituencies, the Council had already identified potential changes.

This review aimed to provide a more effective local election service for voters and help improve local democracy, that is why it is important we heard from and took your views into account.

At the end of the review period the Council will make a number of recommendations which will be made available in a public document, including the reasoning behind each recommendation. Any changes as a result of the review would come into effect for elections which take place in 2024.

Notes and definitions: 

Polling Districts

Polling districts are the building blocks for parliamentary elections. Each parish is to be a separate polling district, unless there are special circumstances. These special circumstances could arise if, for example, the parish has only a small number of electors and it is not practicable for the parish to have its own polling district. There can be more than one polling district in the parish, e.g. if the parish is warded.

Polling Places

A polling place is the building or area in which polling stations will be selected by the (Acting) Returning Officer. If the entire polling district is designated as the polling place, there is flexibility to change the polling station to another building in the polling district when a particular venue is unavailable. This is most likely to happen when an election is called at short notice. A polling place must be within the area of its respective polling district, unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate it wholly or partly outside the district (e.g. parish meetings where they are very small and do not have a suitable polling place).

Polling stations

This is the room or building within the polling place where voting takes place. Unlike polling districts and polling places, which are fixed by the local authority, polling stations are chosen by the Returning Officer for the election. The voting location must be convenient for all voters and accessible for disabled voters, as far as practicable in the circumstances.