The Count

							The Count
The UK’s 45,000 polling
stations close at 22:00 on
election day. Ballot boxes in
each constituency are sealed
and taken to a central location
to be counted e.g. Town Hall
                    The count begins
• The returning officer in charge of the count must make
  arrangements for the count to take place as soon as
  practicable after the poll and most counts take place
  immediately (usually completed overnight)
• The ballot papers are counted by teams of specially
  recruited people - normally local government staff and
  people used to handling large numbers of paper items
  such as bank workers
• First, they count the number of papers in each ballot box
  to make sure it tallies with the record of those issued
                    The count begins
• Once ballot boxes are tallied satisfactorily, the tellers
  separate out the votes for each candidate and bundle
  them into groups of 50. These are then added to get the
  final result
• While the counting is going on, it is monitored by the
  candidates and their representatives to ensure fair play
• It is also possible for the parties to get an early
  indication of how they are doing by comparing the
  figures from key wards with the same ballot boxes in
  previous elections.
                         Spoiled Ballots
Every count contains ballot papers that are disallowed.
  This can happen for the following reasons:
• No official mark
• Voting for more than one candidate
• Writing or marks by which the voter can be identified
• Containing no mark or containing marks that make the
  voter's intention uncertain. In cases of doubt, the
  returning officer makes a decision in the presence of the
  candidates or their agents
• The officer's decision is final but can be challenged by an
  election petition
                                        Recounts
When the count is complete, the returning officer
  discusses the results with the candidates or their
  agents:
• If the result is close, or if a candidate falls just short of
  the 5% necessary to save their deposit, then a recount
  can be requested. The decision on whether to allow one
  is made by the returning officer
• Recounts usually start by counting the bundles of 50
  votes, but candidates can request that individual
  bundles be checked to make sure none has been
  allocated incorrectly
                                     Recounts
When the count is complete, the returning officer
  discusses the results with the candidates or their
  agents:
• In the case of very close results, a complete recount can
  be ordered
• There is no formal limit to the number of recounts, but if
  the same result keeps coming up then the returning
  officer is likely to rule that further requests are
  unreasonable
• There has never been a tie in a UK general election and
  there never will be – smallest margin ever is 2!
                The race to declare
Once the votes have been counted and the candidates
  have declared themselves satisfied with the procedure,
  the returning officer must announce the result without
  delay. In fact, some constituencies race to be the first
  to declare - winning themselves public attention in the
  process:
• Sunderland South has been first to declare in the last
  two elections - after just 46 minutes in 1997 - with
  Torbay, Guildford and Reigate usually well to the front in
  the past 30 years or so
               The race to declare
• The returning officer announces the total number of
  votes cast, and the number for each candidate
• They end with the words "I hereby declare that
  (candidate name) is elected to serve as Member of
  Parliament for the constituency of..."
• The victorious candidate then makes a speech - followed
  by his or her rivals - in which traditionally they thank
  their party workers and say how proud they are to
  represent the electorate
• There has never been a tie in a UK general election and
  there never will be – smallest margin ever is 2!