Catalogue description Records of The Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission was established in 2000 under the provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. It is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament, which regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections. Its aim is to foster confidence and participation by promoting integrity, involvement and effectiveness in the democratic process.

The Commission works to: register political parties; make sure people understand and follow the rules on party and election finance; publish details of where parties and candidates get money from and how they spend it; set the standards for running elections and report on how well this is done; and make sure people understand it is important to register to vote, and know how to vote.