The GLRO has directed that the verification of all ballot boxes from all three contests take place on Friday 3 May, followed by counting the votes cast on Saturday 4 May. This direction may change if any unscheduled polls are due to take place on the same day.
The GLRO is looking to produce the results for the Mayor of London first, followed by the Constituency Assembly members and then the London-wide Assembly member election.
You should include the BROs in your planning.
The GLRO will advise you on the timing of the count before the notice of election is published, to enable you to inform those with an interest, including local political parties and broadcasters, at an early stage. There will be an expectation among candidates, parties and the media that the results will be declared as soon as possible after the close of poll. Working closely with the GLRO, you will therefore need to plan carefully how to manage the expectations of candidates, parties and the media.
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.
You should allow sufficient time to conduct a well-run count process and ensure an accurate result in which voters, candidates and agents can have confidence following any agreed directions or processes in the GLRO’s protocol.