For the Scottish Parliament election, the counting of votes must begin as soon as practicable after the close of poll.1
The EMB may provide guidance on the timing of the count.
You should take decisions on the timing of the count before the notice of election is published, and inform those with an interest, including local political parties and broadcasters, at an early stage.
There will be an expectation among parties, candidates and the media that the results will be declared as soon as possible after the close of poll. Working closely with the RRO, where you are not also the RRO, you will therefore need to plan carefully how to manage the expectations of parties, candidates and the media.
As CRO, you must give notice in writing to the RRO of the time and place at which the verification and counting of the votes will start.
You must also give notice in writing to counting agents at the Scottish Parliament elections of the time and place at which the verification and counting of votes will start.2
Methodology
The way that you organise and manage the verification and count will have an impact on timing.
You should consider using a mini-count approach when planning your verification and count. It is widely accepted that breaking down the verification and count into areas smaller than your constituency is particularly effective in achieving an accurate, timely result with clear audit trails.
The results from those areas are then aggregated to achieve an overall result for your constituency. Any counting issues that may arise will be limited to a more manageable area and any re-counts that may happen as a result, may be limited.