Anelection agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate'spolitical campaign and to whom election material is sent by those running the election. The term is most used inelections in the United Kingdom, as well as some other similar political systems such aselections in India.

Election agents are responsible for sanctioning all expenditure on the candidate's campaign, for maintaining the accuracy of and submitting to thereturning officer the candidate's expenses and other documents, as well as deciding whether to contest the result of acount.

Agents are also permitted to oversee thepolling andcounting of votes to ensure the accuracy and impartiality of the election, and may appointpolling andcounting agents to assist them in those tasks. The number of polling and counting agents that can be appointed is determined by the returning officer of the election and they must be appointed by a set date laid out in the timetable of the election.

Agents must usually have reached theage of majority and not be acting as aclerk or officer to the returning officer in the given election. If candidate do not nominate an agent, they are their own agent.

In theUnited Kingdom,candidates may be their own election agent. TheElectoral Commission provides periodic guidance for candidates and agents.^[1]

InCanada and most of its provinces, an election agent is legally referred to as anofficial agent.

The larger parties typically pay their election agents, and the role is gradually becoming a professional one, like the similar but not identical role ofcampaign manager in theUnited States.

• Teller (elections)
• Polling agent
• Counting agent
• Campaign manager
• List of UK parliamentary election petitions

• Guide to the (British) role