Election officials are the administrators responsible for the entire electoral process, from voter registration and canvassing to running polling stations and counting ballots. They are typically appointed and must be impartial, although in the United States they are often elected and may belong to a political party, yet are still expected to act neutrally. In the United Kingdom, the returning officer is the primary official, but in England and Wales this is an honorary role, with an acting returning officer handling the actual duties, while referendums are overseen by a chief counting officer from the Electoral Commission. Other key roles include electoral registration officers, who compile the voter roll, and presiding officers, who manage individual polling stations. The US system is highly decentralized, with a wide variety of methods used to select local election officials across different states and counties.