During election and canvass periods, local councils are tasked with producing and delivering a variety of printed materials to residents, including poll cards, ballot papers, postal vote packs, and canvass forms.
When outsourcing the production of these vital items, council teams must carefully evaluate potential providers. While factors like reputation, print capabilities, and security accreditations are essential, transparency is a critical consideration that’s often overlooked.
Why is it so important for an electoral print partner to manage everything on-site, rather than outsourcing these important tasks to other mailing houses? Let’s delve into the details.
Organised electoral printing is crucial to upholding democracy, ensuring voters receive accurate, timely and compliant communications. Each element must meet strict deadlines and standards, with no room for error. With so much at stake, councils face the challenge of managing these time-sensitive tasks efficiently, ensuring that all materials are printed and delivered on time without compromising on quality or security.
Councils simply can’t afford delays or mistakes prior to or during elections. Every step of the process must be carried out with precision and reliability. With public trust on the line, any disruption can damage confidence in the election process. Regardless of the size or complexity of the election, successful delivery is critical to ensuring everything runs smoothly, maintaining public faith in the system.
Researching your print provider of choice to ensure credibility is a good place to start. Some electoral printers further outsource production to other mailing houses, sometimes even those based overseas - citing benefits like lower costs, scalability for large orders, or faster turnarounds. However, these advantages aren’t guaranteed and come with significant risks, including:
Delivery Issues: Sending documents elsewhere or overseas for printing can take significantly longer than printing locally, causing delays in receiving your documents. Also, International shipping can be expensive, negating any potential cost savings.
Quality Control Challenges: Ensuring consistent quality becomes much harder when printing is further outsourced. Without direct oversight, you may have limited control over the printing process, materials, and final output. This lack of visibility can lead to discrepancies in quality that may impact the professionalism and accuracy of your electoral materials.
Security Concerns: Outsourcing electoral printing can expose sensitive data to security risks. Different data protection laws and limited control over the process may increase the likelihood of data breaches or misuse, compromising public trust in the election process.
Reduced Sustainability: The environment should be of concern to us all, and for those looking to proactively reduce their carbon footprint, outsourcing to an unfamiliar print provider could be a mistake. A harmful volume of greenhouse gases are produced by many vehicles in transit – not least the airborne vehicles used to transport print from overseas.
Working alongside a print provider that oversees your output in-house gives you an extra degree of control, minimising risk at all stages. CFH have been supporting electoral clients for over 25 years, and unlike some suppliers, we handle everything on-site at our UK-based, secure facilities, never passing your work on. This ensures faster turnaround times, enhanced security, and full compliance with election laws.
With ISO 27001, ISO 14001, and ISO 9001 certifications, alongside Cyber Essentials, we guarantee the highest standards of security and data protection. Our robust disaster recovery services and commitment to legislative compliance mean you can trust us to deliver your critical electoral materials on time, every time.
We welcome clients to our secure sites at any time, giving you full visibility of our production processes, which are overseen by dedicated account managers and sector experts.
During the 2024 General Election, CFH Print UK solutions provided hassle-free electoral communications for Bedford Borough Council and their residents.
CFH Print UK partnered with Welwyn Hatfield Council for the 2024 general election, printing 186,000+ documents in 6 weeks. The council praised CFH's quality and timeliness.
General election professionals provide a complete service for southwest Leicestershire district mail output
With an existing relationship in place, Stevenage Borough Council were confident working with CFH leading up to and throughout the 2024 General Election.
Spelthorne Council's 6-year partnership with CFH Print UK ensured a smooth 2024 General Election. Efficient communication, on-site checks, and 190,000+ documents delivered in 6 weeks.
Basildon Council partners with CFH Print UK for efficient print and post services during the 2024 snap General Election, delivering over 300,000 electoral documents on time.
CFH Print UK solution provides a hassle-free alternative to sending electoral communications to residents under Cambridge City Council.
