Referendum on the Voting System for UK Parliamentary Elections and Local Elections in England

Referendum on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections and local elections in England – 5 May 2011

A Count model for Counting Officers and Returning Officers

1Overview

1.1This guidance has been written to support the effective delivery of a referendum verification and count and reflects the Chief Counting Officer’s directions. It has been developed using the model that was originally designed with support from the Elections and Registration Working Group for the 2010 UK Parliamentary election. The model received positive feedback in the post-election review with a specific comment in the Association of Electoral Administrators report that claimed more Returning Officers were using the mini counting approach. This model has, therefore, been widely tested.

1.2The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill makes provision for a referendum to be held on the voting system for UK Parliamentary elections and the relevant combination rules allow for polls to be combined where there are local elections in England.As such Counting Officers are responsible for the administration of the referendum and the election related functions which are taken by the Counting Officer where activities are combined.

1.3A referendum held under PPERA has a different management and accountability structure compared with any other election. It requires a Chief Counting Officer to certify the overall result, which at this referendum will be one UK-wide result aggregated from all of the totals produced locally by individual Counting Officers. The Chair of the Electoral Commission, Jenny Watson, will be the Chief Counting Officer.

.1.4The Chief Counting Officer has the power to give general or specific directions to Counting Officers relating to the discharge of their functions, including directions requiring Counting Officers to take specific preparatory steps or to provide any information that they have or are entitled to have. Given the UK-wide nature of the referendum, the Chief Counting Officer intends to use this power to ensure that the referendum is conducted to the same standards and principles in all voting areas, and to ensure that Counting Officers can deliver the key principles for an effective verification and count.

1.5The Chief Counting Officer’s key principles are –

• All processes should be transparent, with a clear and unambiguous audit trail.
• The verification must produce an accurate result. This means that the number of ballot papers in each box either matches the number of ballot papers issued as stated on the ballot paper account or, if it does not

1. the source of the variance has been identified and can be explained, and/or
2. the box has been recounted at least twice, until the same number of ballot papers is counted on two consecutive occasions

• The count produces an accurate result, where:

1. the total number of yes, no and rejected votes matches the total number of ballot papers given on the verification statement for the referendum.
2. For single-member vacancies at the local government elections, the total number of votes cast for each candidate and rejected votes matches the total number of ballot papers given on the verification statement for the election.
3. For multi-member vacancies at the local government elections, the total number of votes given for each candidate added to the number of rejected (i.e. the number of completely rejected ballots multiplied by the number of vacancies plus the number of rejected votes from those ballots rejected in part (i.e the number of votes that a voter did not use, or the number of votes that could not be determined as clearly given)matches the total number of votes expected (i.e.the total number of ballot papers as given on the verification statement multiplied by the number of vacancies)

• The verification and count are timely (i.e.for the referendum the Chief Counting Officer is able to certify the result without undue delay).
• The secrecy of the vote is maintained at all times
• The security of ballot papers and other stationery is maintained at all times.

1.6This model supports the above key principles in the following manner -

• Transparency - It delivers visible and intuitive working practices
• Accuracy - It provides step-by-step guidance for each stage of the count process with templates to support a full audit trail of the count totals
• Reconciliation – the process makes provision for a comparison between the verification total and the count total
• Timely - the management structure supports a controlled outcome
• Secrecy – the model conforms to the rules regarding the secrecy of the verification and count
• Security – measure to ensure the security of the ballot boxes and ballot papers are emphasised throughout the document.

1.7If Counting Officers have a count model in place which meets the Chief Counting Officer’s key principles they could consider using or adapting the appendices attached to support their model. The forms and appendices can also be adapted for use with the local election count. The Chief Counting Officer believes that this model supports the key principles of an effective count.

A

The Chief Counting Officer’s instructions to Counting Officers and the Electoral Commission’s guidance to Returning Officers – Verification and Count should be read alongside this count model. Resources can be accessed at

2Timing of the verification and count and other key issues

2.1The legislation requires Counting Officers to make arrangements for the verification of the ballot boxes and the counting of the votes as soon as practicable. The Chief Counting Officer directs Counting Officers to complete the verification of ballot boxes by 1 p.m. on 6 May 2011 and to commence the counting of the votes at 4 p.m. on 6 May 2011.

2.2As Returning Officer, you are required by law to make arrangements for the counting of election votes as soon as practicable after the delivery of the ballot papers by the Counting Officer.

2.3The Counting Officer’s decision as to when to commence verification may have implications for the security of the ballot boxes and ballot papers. Where there is any break in proceedings Counting Officers must take all necessary steps to ensure the security of ballot boxes and the relevant stationery from close of poll to the declaration of the local total and the election results.

2.4The Counting Officer’s approach to the recruitment of staff that will be required to manage the referendum and election verification and the counting of votes from close of poll through to the end of the referendum count will also be a key consideration.

2.5Before the verification and count begin Counting Officers must address referendum agents and candidates and their agents and all others in attendance to explain the different processes. An information pack should be made available to all those in attendance to allow them to properly scrutinise the processes as a way of building confidence in the system. A checklist setting out what such an information pack should include has been developed by the Commission and can be downloaded at

2.6During the verification and count Counting Officers must be able to communicate with the Regional Counting Officer throughout the process and must have arrangements in place to enable that communication to take place.

3The count structure

3.1A typical staffing structure for this count model is attached at Appendix A. This counting approach breaks down the count process into teams with each team working to a prescribed identical procedure with control documents providing the necessary audit trail. Once all teams have completed their count the figures are aggregated into a summary statement. Job descriptions for the key staff mentioned in paragraph 3.5 can be downloaded from the Commission’s website at

3.2Ultimately, the size of the venue will dictate the number of staff that can be accommodated and this point should be factored into the plan when the Counting Officer is deciding the resources required to meet the timing deadlines set by the Chief Counting Officer. Count layouts must be designed to both ensure the security of the ballot papers and the count process. The layout should support a clear workflow arrangement in such a way that it is fully transparent and visible to all stakeholders. It also needs to provide separate tables for each count supervisor allowing them to have easy access to the accountancy staff who work as a central team. This model has been designed around a structure of five team supervisors and their counting assistants but Counting Officers may decide to expand or contract their model depending upon the likely turnout and the space available in their count venue.

3.3A particular consideration in connection with the count layout is the secure storage of the ballot boxes as they arrive at the venue. Irrespective of the decision to use one ballot box or separate boxes for the electoral events there will be a significant number that must be accounted for. Space must, therefore, be set aside for these boxes and the materials that the Presiding Officers return so that crucial documentation can be accessed speedily and effectively. Counting Officers may wish to consider Appendix B, or a similar layout, when allocating the space available at their venue.

3.4The count must be controlled by the Counting Officer, assisted by a deputy or a Count Manager. Separately it is recommended that one or more Deputy Counting Officers/Deputy Returning Officers be formally appointed under the regulations to assist with adjudication and any other issues that might arise during the count.

3.5The count structure referred to in paragraph 3.1 identifies the key staff who have a major role to play in conducting an accurate count but it should be emphasised that the person managing the count, the people dealing with the completion of the paperwork and calculations and those responsible for the counting staff must work together to ensure an effective outcome of the count. These roles are described below but Counting Officers may prefer to describe their key personnel differently:

• Count Manager– responsible for the overall operation, assisting the Counting Officer/Returning Officer with the organisation of the event and the overall co-ordination of the count, the adjudication process and the transmission of the referendum totals and the reconciliation of the local election results.
• Registration Supervisor– managing teams dealing with the receipt of ballot boxes, relevant key documents and stationery, and the postal votes delivered to the count venue by the Presiding Officers.
• Postal Vote Verification Supervisor –managing a team involved with the final opening and matching of provisionally rejected postal votes and postal vote statements.
• Accountancy Officers– (a senior should be appointed to oversee the work of the accountancy team and sign off the results for the Counting Officer) whose role is to initially check the ballot paper accounts if these have not been checked by a separate team, liaise with Count Supervisors to complete the count paperwork, check and verify the totals to ensure that they are accurate. The number of accountancy officers will depend on the number of teams that are included in the overall structure.
• Count Supervisors– who each manage a team of counting assistants ensuring that the count process is undertaken efficiently and effectively. Again the number of supervisors will be dictated by the space available and the predicted turnout.
• Counting Assistants– working in pairs as instructed by their Count supervisors. The size of each team is very much dependent on the count layout but it is recommended that teams should not exceed five pairs of counting assistants to ensure the supervisors can control the overall process.

3.6Recruitment for the senior team members should be undertaken as early as possible to allow sufficient time for induction and training. The recruitment of the counting assistants is also extremely important and Counting Officers would be wise to put in place a process of testing when undertaking the recruitment to ensure all those engaged are capable of counting the ballot papers speedily and accurately. All those appointed should be given a clear set of instructions about the conduct of the count and a description of their roles and responsibilities.

3.7The staff should also be made aware of the timing and location of the count and advised that they will be expected to arrive in sufficient time for a final briefing.

3.8If the Counting Officer does not intend to commence the verification of the ballot boxes immediately after the close of the poll then the Counting Officer must take all necessary steps to ensure that ballot boxes and other items are kept secure at all times and cannot be interfered with. In addition, the referendum agents, election agents and their candidates must be briefed about the arrangements, so that they can have the reassurance and confidence that the ballot papers and ballot boxes cannot be interfered with during any break in the process.

A

Section 3 of the Verification and Count Module – Preparing for the verification and count provides more detailed information for Counting Officers.

4Receipt of polling station materials and sealed boxes of postal ballot papers

4.1The registration supervisor and the registration team members are responsible for registering receipt of every ballot box, the key documents and stationery as well as the postal votes that have been handed in at polling stations. A ballot box registration document is attached at Appendix C which provides a (√) column for all the items that the Presiding Officer must hand in at the count. The form should be completed with details of all the polling stations together with the names and mobile phones number of each Presiding Officer. All of these details should be pre-printed in advance of polling day ensuring the Counting Officer is fully informed of the names and contact details of presiding officers in the event of any problems. If time allows, the registration team can also undertake a check on the basic arithmetic of the ballot paper accounts before the presiding officers are allowed to depart. Otherwise the ballot papers are passed to the accountancy team for the check to be undertaken. The final completion of the ballot box registration document is, of course, evidence that all ballot boxes have been received and the contents will be included in the count. If Separate ballot boxes are to be used then a second registration document would need to be produced to track the boxes for the election.

4.2The sealed postal ballot boxes from the various openings must also be transported to the count ensuring their security throughout the journey. The ballot box registration document must make provision for these boxes to be registered as evidence that all postal ballot boxes have been checked off and included in the count except perhaps for the last box or boxes from the final opening of postal votes.

4.3The final opening of postal votes may be carried out at the count venue or at the Counting Officer’s premises. If verification is to take place following close of poll Counting Officers should provide sufficient resources to deal with the verification and the matching of the provisionally rejected so as not to delay the completion of the verification stage of the count.

4.4A separate team under the control of the registration supervisor should deal with the verification of the unused ballot papers, the tendered votes list and the spoilt ballot papers. This is a legal requirement and involves the opening of the appropriate sealed packets delivered by each Presiding Officer to record the number of ballot papers that have not been used. As each packet of unused ballot papers, spoilt ballot papers and the tendered votes list is opened the figures should be calculated and passed to the accountancy staff for recording on the verification statement The team must reseal the packets as they complete their calculations.

5Verification

5.1The main purpose of verification is to demonstrate that all ballot papers issued at the polling stations and all the verified postal votes have been included in the count to produce a reconciled total.

5.2Counting Officers/Returning Officers have a legal duty to verify each ballot paper account and to draw up a separate statement as to the result of the verification in relation to each poll. By law, the verification of all contests must be completed before the declaration of the local referendum total or any election results. If electors have been asked to place all their ballot papers in the same ballot box, the ballot papers must be sorted into their respective poll and the verification procedure should then be completed for each poll.

5.3Where separate ballot boxes have been used for each poll, the different ballot boxes should be verified either simultaneously at adjacent tables or one after the other at the same table. There must be a clear and transparent system/procedure in place to account for any ballot papers that have been placed in the ‘wrong’ ballot box by electors.