So those people sitting outside the Polling station...

I say 'you don't have to if you'd prefer not to'

we are entitled to ask, and the voters are perfectly entitled to say no, and that is the end of it.

How do you ensure that they know that they can say No?

I have done a session telling today, and have being doing so for the past 8 years or so. We do wear a rosette, we are entitled to ask, and the voters are perfectly entitled to say no, and that is the end of it. We aren't allowed in the polling station either. Inside the polling station I can only speak for my own authority but they do wear badges saying what sort of official they are - either a poll clerk or the presiding officer (the one in charge of the polling station.)
We used to happily share the info with the Tory tellers but they seem to have given up this year.

Thanks to all the Mumsnetters who posted on this thread! I had never heard of this before, and with my ingrained fear of authority, I would have surely complied. Because of Mumsnet, I was able to ask the gentleman requesting my polling card if he was a teller, and when he confirmed, politely say, “I believe I’m not obliged to show you.”

I haven’t seen a teller for years. I have done that job, and run The office where all the numbers are crossed checked with the canvassing lists. Happy days. General elections can be very excited for activists!

I have only lived in staunch Tory seats for the last 20+ years and only ever saw Tory tellers. I’d very cheerfully tell them I wouldn’t vote for them with a gun to my head and we’d all have an exchange of banter and off I’d go.

In a sense, it's a similar principle to when people deliberately don't carry/use expensive things in public - things that they would have found useful to have with them - as they know that other people will only seek to take them from them.

I realise this is information that they're after and not goods they want to deprive you of, but I see a clear parallel in principle.

I did actually complain about a teller a few years ago who was hassling me and swore at me when I refused to hand over my info. Labour Party I’m afraid. At least the Tories are polite!

I think what also rankles with me is when they just ask to see your polling card and don't even do you the decency of asking you for whatever info they would like (and make it clear that they are acting on behalf of a party and are not an official steward).

It rather underlines the idea that you're only an important bit of paper, with an irrelevant meatbag who happens to be holding it.

I keep my polling card in my pocket and when asked (like I was today) say I haven’t got it. I realise it’s so parties can see who has voted but I didn’t vote for the main parties, no one could be arsed to come round and I don’t want to hand over my name and address.

That's great - as long as they leave people in no reasonable doubt that they are not actually part of the official voting process.

I don’t know about tellers in your area but in mine they are generally older people and unfailingly polite.

But they can only find out which of 'their' supporters haven't yet been that sincere in their support and voted by bothering everybody and asking them for information that many will think they're being asked to give to an electoral official.

Even if the tellers do swap information between themselves about 'their' supporters, they're still hassling everybody in order to get that information.

There is a common belief that charities mutually swap names and numbers of regular donors with other unconnected charities - but this doesn't mean that most people love being hassled and bombarded by them - by their existing OR by new charities - in the hope that they just might give.

What is stopping the candidates and their assistants from contacting households beforehand to remind people to vote (hopefully for them, if they wish to do so) and to give out a number and email for anybody to contact them on if they know now that they may need a lift to the polling station, or indeed if they suddenly find that they do on the day?

At the moment, it's looking like they don't care about helping people who may be very elderly and/or disabled but nevertheless struggle very slowly under their own steam to get there, as they are determined to cast their vote; but those who may be fit and healthy but just aren't bothered enough about voting to take a short walk down there without any fuss will end up getting an entirely unnecessary chauffeur to grab their vote.

why doesn't 'seeking elector information with the aim of using it to act to increase your party vote' count as campaigning?

Because the people they might contact as a result of finding out out who has or has not yet voted have already said they will be voting for their party.

In quiet times the tellers from different parties swap numbers that the other might have missed. There’s nothing shady about it.

Those saying that they can't understand how people are not aware of the role of a 'teller', well, I'm new to the British voting system, as I only recently became a British Citizen. During the local election recently I was approached by (who I assumed to be) a poling station official, asking to see my polling card. I only realised after leaving, that they were wearing a Conservative rosette. I felt duped and unhappy with myself for not challenging them. Today i was prepared and politely refused to show my poling card to the Conservative 'teller'. She didn't take it well and huffed and puffed in reply. I understand that the role of a teller is legally allowed but I find it strange and feel like it's duplicitous and almost a form of bullying. I wish they were open with people they approach and not pretend to be polling station officials.

So why doesn't 'seeking elector information with the aim of using it to act to increase your party vote' count as campaigning?

But why? They aren’t doing anything untoward, they aren’t doing anything underhanded

But this is what several of us on here keep saying: they are acting in exactly the same way as many reasonable people would expect an electoral official to be acting - and they know very well that, if everybody knew they were not official stewards and were just prying in the interests of their party, nobody would speak to them at all.

I'd say that IS very much underhanded.

I think there should be a notice that states that the people standing outside the polling station are not part of the official voting process.

Sad that it's come to this, but if the tellers seem determined to capitalise on people's natural assumptions that they are electoral officials, maybe the actual electoral officials need to start adopting a distinctive (hard to copy) uniform/sash/large badge or similar and put up a colossal sign outside (ideally right next to the tellers) informing electors that only people wearing X are electoral officials and thus are authorised to make requests.

Again, if you are the proud local candidate for X party for Y town - or their trusted representative - and you genuinely believe that you are doing a valuable job for the local community, enabling folk to engage more easily with the democratic process and arranging lifts for those who need them... why would you NOT want to introduce yourself as such, or at least have a prominent badge with your name and party on it?

It’s because you’re not allowed to actively campaign within a certain distance of a polling station on election day. 50 metres? 100? can’t remember. But that’s why the rosettes are blank.

Yet again, if they were proud of what they were doing, they would want to wear a big badge/t-shirt/sash and/or introduce themselves to you... but they don't

But why? They aren’t doing anything untoward, they aren’t doing anything underhanded, they ARE normally wearing a rosette or badge (nothing ambiguous about a rosette during an election).

They don’t need to be “proud”, they are doing a pretty dull admin task in support of their candidate, as they are legally entitled to do. And as a PP commented, they tend to be older and politically active so they assume their role is no surprise to anyone. What with it happening in swing seats for as long as there have been swing seats, and all.

As anyone who has canvassed the public for any reason knows (I’ve done it but not for political groups) you have maybe 2 seconds max to nab someone as they pass to ask them anything. Introducing themselves and explaining their role means they aren’t going to have time to do their role.

No one is obliged to answer them. Most people don’t. They aren’t pressuring people, they aren’t selling anything or campaigning, they are asking for a polling card number. Tell them or don’t tell them.

The person sitting outside our polling station was a beggar.
Pretty stark reminder of what the Tories have achieved over the last 14 years.

This. By this stage of the game all they want to do is make sure their own supporters have voted.

Haven't seen any for years. Round here they usually just knock the door to see if you have been to vote/yet. Haven't had one today though (guess there's still time)

I wasn't necessarily saying that you were super intelligent or went to the best school, btw.

The thing is that, even if everybody had walked the same paths of knowledge and experience as you and knew what a teller is - bearing in mind that many people who have lived in safe seats for decades may never have encountered them before - these people don't wear anything (other than a potentially ambiguous small rosette) to clearly indicate that that is what they are.

Yet again, if they were proud of what they were doing, they would want to wear a big badge/t-shirt/sash and/or introduce themselves to you... but they don't.

And, for the record, just because something has been around for a long time is no indication whatsoever that it can't be a scam or other underhand tactic.