It would seem so.
East Devon Election and Returning Officer Mark Williams (also CEO of East Devon District Council) rather grudgingly admitted that “things had gone wrong” at the last election but said it would not happen again in this newspaper article published today:
No mention of the fact that he was hauled in to a Parliamentary Committee to explain why he “lost” 6,000 voters (answer: because he thought his idea of telephoning missing voters was better than the government’s guidance of visiting them), was particularly noted by the Electoral Commission for not following those guidelines, or why East Devon was one of only SEVEN councils out of more than 400 to have made MULTIPLE mistakes. OR that he has been doing the job for years but still doesn’t seem to have got it quite right.
If it were a junior officer or councillor who had not been considered up-to-scratch (particularly an Independent Councillor) would he or she had got off so lightly?
Teflon-coated?
East Devon Watch 
I find it sickening the way Mr Williams deflects all responsibility for his numerous cock-ups to junior staff who cannot answer for themselves. No wonder we get tidbits in confidence from staff who dare not be identified, as to the shenannigins that some at EDDC are up to.
I should like to see Mr Williams explain why so many other ERO’s facing the same problems elsewhere in the country, managed to get it right when he failed so miserably.
Much, if not all, the factors he claims as responsible, were foreseable. Any competent ERO (or CEO) would have made the appropriate plans. How much notice of elections does he need? We all had over four years notice of the General Election and indeed district and town elections.
It all makes you wonder why the political leadership tolerate such incompetence, what’s in it for them?
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Shouldn’t there be more to journalism than the mere regurgitation of anodyne press releases?
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I learned today from a FoI to the Electoral Commission that our ERO / RO has not fulfilled his responsibilities in another area, specifically ‘How many people tried to vote on polling day and were found not to be registered?’.
Most other ERO/RO have provided this information, but a few including East DEevon’s RO/ERO have not.
See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/east_devon_may_2015_elections_re?nocache=incoming-691871#incoming-691871 .
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