Electoral malpractice

Reporting allegations of electoral malpractice

There are a number of election-related offences that are criminal offences, such as bribery, personation and multiple voting. Please see a list of offences below.

If you have reason to believe that an election-related crime has been committed, you should first raise the matter with the (Acting) Returning Officer (RO) who is responsible for running the election in the Royal Borough. It may be that your concern relates to the election process and can be resolved by the RO.

However, where this is not the case and an election crime may have been committed this should be investigated by the police. The RO may refer this to the police or provide you with the details of the police contact for your area so that you can report your allegation. Every police force has designated a Single Point of Contact or SPOC to lead on election matters.

If you want the police to formally investigate your concerns you must be prepared to give them a statement and substantiate your allegation.

If you would prefer to discuss your concerns with the Electoral Commission, please contact the local Electoral Commission office.

Eastern and South East
The Electoral Commission
Eastern and South East Office
3 Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8YZ
Tel: 020 7271 0600
Fax:020 7271 0505
email: easternandsoutheast@electoralcommission.org.uk

Please note that if your allegation relates to party or election finance matters, such as election expenses or donations, then you should follow the advice given by the Electoral Commission.