Telling at Elections

The Basics

A teller is a volunteer on behalf of a political party. They stand outside polling stations and collect electoral registration numbers (or, poll numbers) of voters as they enter or leave.

It's important to know that they play no official part in the election and voters are under no obligation to speak with them. Additionally, they have no official polling rights, such as entering the polling station. If asked, tellers must explain they are not officials and why they are collecting poll numbers.

Why They Collect Numbers

Tellers help their parties identify supporters who have not voted yet, so that they can be contacted and encouraged to vote and offer assistance - such as transport to the polling station - if necessary.

Rules for Tellers

The Electoral Commission has official guidance on telling. Here are the rules, ommitting the few we already talked about:

Tellers must not attmept to induce, influence or persuade an elector how or whether to vote. Tellers cannot promote particular candidates or political parties. Their conduct must not give rise to allegations of undue influence, e.g. discussing voting intentions, party affiliations, a candidate's history, election campaigns, or undertaking any other activity particularly associated with one particular party or candidate.
Tellers should not display or distribute election material (e.g. billboards, posters, placards or pamphlets) on walls or around the polling place.
Tellers may remind voters that they need to provide photographic ID to vote, but must not ask to see or check it themselves.
The Presiding Officer may allow them to enter the polling building, but they definitely are not allowed in the room where the polling takes place. In fact, tellers must not even be able to see or hear what is happening inside the polling room.
In regard to the appearance of tellers, they are allowed to wear coloured rosettes or badges of a reasonable size, as this assists electors by making it clear that they are working on behalf of a party and not officials. The rosette/badge may display the name of a candidate and/or emblem or description; the rosette/badge should not bear a slogan and must not be oversized.
Tellers must not wear, carry, or display any headwear, footwear or other apparel that carries any writing, picture or sign related to any candidate or party apart from a rosette/badge.