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

The law sets out the result collation process that must be followed. The key steps are:

Collating the verification figures

• The local government RO or LRO (as appropriate) must verify the ballot paper accounts for their voting area and draw up a statement as to the result of the verification.1
• The local government RO or LRO (as appropriate) must inform the PARO of the contents of their verification statement.2
• The PARO must collate all the verification figures for the police area to produce a total number of the ballot papers going forward to the count for the whole police area.3
• Where the votes are to be counted at a different place to where the verification took place you can direct LROs to carry out further specified verification procedures in relation to the ballot papers and documents relating to the PCC election.4

Collating the count totals

• Once counting is complete, the LRO must share the figures with the candidates and agents present. Candidates, election agents and those counting agents who have been specifically authorised to do so may request a recount.5  
• Once the candidates and agents have had the opportunity to check the figures (and any recount has been completed), the LRO must draw up a statement of local totals including the number of votes cast for each candidate and the total number of rejected ballot papers, and a statement of rejected ballot papers categorised by reason for rejection.6
• Each LRO must, as soon as practicable, inform the PARO of the contents of the statement of local totals.7
• Before the LRO can inform the candidates and agents of the contents of the statements of rejected ballot papers and local totals and give public notice, they must have received authorisation from the PARO.
• The PARO must collate all the local totals for the police area received from LROs. As soon as practicable after the PARO has received all of the local totals for the police area, they must calculate the total number of votes given for each candidate in the police area. 
• The PARO must share the relevant figures with the election agents who are present, and must give them a reasonable opportunity to satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the calculation. An election agent may request a re-calculation but the PARO may refuse to do so if in their opinion the request is unreasonable.8
• Once the agents have had the opportunity to check the figures (and any re-calculation has been completed) the PARO must declare the result. 

Further guidance on the processes you need to follow after the declaration of the result, including giving public notice of the result, is contained in our guidance for PAROs on After the election.