Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

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Counting the votes

You should open all boxes in full view of any agents that are present. When a box has had a seal attached by an agent, you should take particular care to show to any agents present that this seal is still intact prior to it being broken.

All count processes should be transparent. You should also provide appropriate opportunities for those who are entitled to observe and to object to doubtful ballot paper adjudication decisions. This should include ensuring that you store bundles of counted ballot papers in full sight of counting agents to allow them to monitor progress throughout the count.

Mixing

You must mix the ballot papers so that ballot papers from each ballot box are mixed with ballot papers from at least one other ballot box, and mix the postal ballot papers with ballot papers from at least one other ballot box before sorting and counting the votes.1

Sorting and counting

Ballot papers must be kept face upwards throughout the counting process in order to prevent the number and other unique identifying mark on the back of the ballot paper being seen.2 The ballot papers should be visible at all times to any candidates, agents and observers present.

Counting assistants should sort the ballot papers into votes for each political party or individual candidate (as appropriate). Any doubtful ballot papers should be placed aside for adjudication.

The number of votes given for each political party or individual candidate should then be counted and placed into bundles of predetermined number, e.g. bundles of 20, 25, 50 or 100. 

A slip or card bearing the name of the political party or the individual candidate’s name, together with the number in the bundle, should be attached to the front. It may be helpful to colour-code the slips. The bundles should then be recounted by another counting assistant in order to ensure the accuracy of the bundle. 

Supervisors should flick through the bundles in order to ensure that all of the votes in the bundle are marked in the same way.

It is unlikely that the number of votes in the final bundle will equal the predetermined bundle number, and so a note should be made of the number of votes in those incomplete bundles and attached to the front of the bundle.

In the case of a constituency that covers more than one local authority and where the count will be decentralised you should decide whether to require any particular methods, or to leave it to each appointed deputy to choose their preferred method based on what is most appropriate for their local circumstances. 

Whatever method is used it should be transparent and lead to an accurate outcome. You will need to consider how you will ensure that the local totals you receive from to collate the result are accurate before you accept them. You should produce templates of all documents appointed deputies will be required to complete as appropriate during the count process to provide a clear audit trail. 

Last updated: 18 November 2025