Count for General Election will take place the day after
THE Acting Returning Officer for the three parliamentary constituencies of Henley, Oxford West and Abingdon, and Wantage, has today announced that the counts will take place on the Friday following polling day.
The Acting Returning Officer must carry out the count as soon as is practicable after the close of poll at 10pm on polling day, which is invariably a Thursday. It is a matter for his or her discretion whether this commences on the Thursday evening or the following morning. The advice from the Electoral Commission is that the most important things for the Acting Returning Officer to take into account in coming to a decision are the accuracy of the count and maintaining public confidence in the process.
The Acting Returning Officer has made his decision following a risk assessment of the different options available. Counts commencing Friday morning come out clearly as least risk, particularly in terms of resourcing and accuracy.
David Buckle, Acting Returning Officer, says:
“I have given very careful consideration to when is best to hold the counts and have concluded that we should commence all of them on the Friday morning. This means I will have time to properly process any postal votes that I receive late on polling day plus those returned with ballot boxes because people have handed them in at polling stations. I will also be able call upon fresh staff to undertake the count who have had the benefit of a good night?s sleep.
“In my opinion the move towards Friday counts is inevitable given the ever more complex rules for conducting elections. I understand the desire of many to preserve the excitement of election night but that is not my primary concern. Ultimately I will be held accountable by the courts if the election count goes wrong so I must hold it at I time that I consider presents least risk.”
For parliamentary elections in Oxfordshire the High Sheriff is the official Returning Officer. This is a purely ceremonial role, however, and all decisions regarding the conduct of the election including the arrangements for the count are vested with the Acting Returning Officer, who is appointed by the relevant local authority.
