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

As PARO, you and the project team will need to agree the approach to be taken in respect of the timing of the verification, count and result calculation across the police area. The verification of the ballot paper accounts, processing postal votes received on the day, and counting of the votes must begin as soon as practicable after the close of poll.1 As PARO it is up to you to inform LROs how you will approach the co-ordination of the verification and counting of votes. 

Where the PCC poll is combined with another poll you can direct whichever Returning Officer is responsible for verification and counting of the ballot papers as to the time by which the verification is to begin. Any such direction as to timing should be developed in consultation with the relevant Returning Officer(s) to ensure that it can be met in practice.

The overarching principle that should underpin Returning Officers’ decision-making in relation to the timing of election counts, is, the need to ensure an accurate result in which voters, candidates and political parties have confidence. 

As PARO you should consider this principle carefully in deciding when, where and how the votes in each voting area will be verified and counted. You need to ensure that you are confident that both your and the LROs’ processes are managed and resourced in a way that enables counting to produce a timely outcome.

Your decision as to the timing of the verification and count should reflect the following:

• Each PCC election is a single poll producing one result for the police area as a whole. Each voting area’s total counts towards a result for the police area as a whole and therefore it will be important to identify a defined period of time during which all the votes will be counted and totals announced for each voting area.
• The result of the election must be accurate. Underpinning the approach to the timing of the verification and count is the need to ensure an accurate result in which voters and candidates can have confidence. Therefore the period of time specified for the verification and count to take place must be such that LROs can resource and conduct a well-run verification and count process within it.
• The potential for and extent of combined polls in the police area. Where polls are combined, whether in some or all voting areas, you will need to take this into account in identifying the options for timing of the verification and counting of the votes for the PCC election. You should:
  • obtain information from LROs about the other polls taking place and plans for verification and counting at the other polls, and use this information to inform your planning assumptions. 
  • make clear when you communicate the plans for when to verify and count the votes what factors related to combination you have taken into account in making them, and any particular implications of your decisions for areas with combined polls. 
  • ensure that you provide candidates and agents at the PCC election with information for all voting areas, highlighting where combination exists and has had an impact on the decision, including where this has resulted in different arrangements being in place. 
  • keep your plans under review to deal with any emerging situations, such as by-elections being called for the same day as the PCC election poll.