Civica strengthens position in election services with integration of Electoral Reform Services 

Civica, a global leader in software for public services, has enhanced its position in election and ballot services with the full integration and rebranding of Electoral Reform Services (ERS) as Civica Election Services. 

Following ERS’ acquisition as part of the ERS Group in December 2018, Civica Election Services is the core of the Democracy and Engagement division and continues to be the UK’s leading provider of election services with more than 100 years’ experience of administering elections, ballots and consultation processes.

The company now supports hundreds of organisations across a wide range of sectors to engage stakeholders and deliver secure, trusted voting projects. 

Sian Roberts, Civica Executive Director for Democracy and Engagement said: “We’re proud to bring our extensive election services experience fully into Civica, as part of its dedicated Democracy and Engagement division, and welcome all the opportunities which being part of the larger group will bring for our customers.  

“We have always enjoyed an unrivalled reputation for integrity and independence, crucial in these busy times with a UK General Election imminent.”      

Civica Election Services works with 75% of the UK’s local authorities, including Greater London Authority and Manchester City Council, providing electoral registration services and helping administer local council, European and general elections. The company also works extensively with membership organisations, trade unions and health bodies, including the National Trust, Nationwide Building Society, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Unite the Union, the Royal College of Nursing and Kings College Hospital NHS Trust. In 2018 alone, Civica Election Services distributed approximately 21m emails to eligible voters, with 1.5m online votes received.

Civica Election Services supports digital democracy via its CESVotes secure cloud platform, to improve meaningful engagement and help increase turnout. The system enables users to vote quickly and securely, captures election insights to better understand and increase engagement, plus voter profiling for deeper insight. The company also provides integrated design, print and mailing services to support elections. 

Civica’s Democracy and Engagement division now offers end-to-end capability for elections and ballots, governance and member and community engagement, supporting the Group’s strategy to deliver improved outcomes for people and communities. Other businesses previously integrated include Modern.Gov meeting and governance management, Xpress electoral software, and Civica Engagement Solutions membership engagement, with Shaw’s Election Supplies to follow in 2020.