Guidance for Local Returning Officers administering a Police and Crime Commissioner election in England and Wales

In the planning stage, the PARO will have advised you of the processes in place for considering the provisional local total and dealing with requests for recounts.

Provisional local totals

Once you are satisfied that the number of votes for each candidate is accurate you can proceed to draw up the provisional local result and inform the PARO. Once the PARO has given you authorisation you must share the local totals with the candidates and agents present1 and seek their agreement.   

You should make it clear that the candidates, election agents or designated counting agent are entitled to request a recount of the local totals.

Once you are satisfied you are not going to receive a request for a recount you must prepare the statement of the conclusion of the count. 

Recount procedures 

You must give the candidates and agents sufficient time to digest the provisional local totals before proceeding to the next stage of the process.2 It is at this point that candidates and agents may request to have the votes recounted or, following a recount, recounted again.3  

The PARO may direct you to recount the votes after being informed of the provisional local totals if they have reason to doubt the accuracy of the counting of votes in your area. If a recount has been directed, once that recount is complete, the provisional local total process should begin again.   

You must consider any recount request but by law may refuse if, in your opinion, the request is unreasonable.4 You may, however, consider offering the candidates and agents the opportunity to inspect the bundles of the ballot papers as a means of reassuring them that the local total is accurate.

If you agree to recount the local total,5 you should inform the candidates and agents present at the count before the recount commences and briefed on the processes you are going to follow. As with the original count, you should carry out any recount in full view of those present. You are entitled to reconsider which ballot papers should be rejected during the recount (or any further recount).6   

You must consult on the revised provisional local result in the same way as they were consulted on the provisional totals at the conclusion of the original  count. 

It is possible to have more than one recount. Again, it is for you to consider any request, and you may refuse if in your opinion the request is unreasonable.7