Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Scottish Parliament election

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Verification

The verification process has two main purposes which are:

  • to ensure and demonstrate that all ballot papers issued at polling stations and all returned postal ballot papers have been brought to the count
  • to provide the figure with which the count outcome should reconcile

You should keep both purposes in mind when conducting the verification process.

Ensuring accuracy at the verification stage is crucial to ensuring a timely count. If the verification figures are wrong there will be a variance against the count figures which will need to be resolved and risks significantly slowing the overall process.

Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf: 18 Tachwedd 2025