Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

You should take all necessary steps to ensure the security of ballot papers and relevant stationery from close of poll through to the declaration of the result, particularly where ballot papers need to be transported from the verification to the count or where a break in proceedings will require the ballots to be stored between the conclusion of the verification and the commencement of the count.1

If you need to store ballot papers, you must store them in sealed ballot boxes in a secure place, allowing agents to attach their seals to the ballot boxes.2 You should always open the sealed ballot boxes in clear view of any candidates and agents present, so they can satisfy themselves that nobody has interfered with the ballot papers and the ballot boxes.

You should make arrangements for how the ballot papers and other materials will be kept secure once they arrive at the verification and count venue(s), for example, by ensuring they are never left unattended.

These plans should also include the security of those materials that you must keep sealed (such as the corresponding numbers list), either by staff watching the materials or by securing them in a locked room.

You can liaise with your local police Single Point of Contact (SPOC) when deciding on the most appropriate method for ensuring secure storage, and should ensure you brief candidates and agents about your arrangements, so that they can have confidence in the integrity of the count.

You will also need to ensure any personal data is destroyed at the appropriate time, in accordance with your document retention policy.

Securing ballot papers during breaks in proceedings

Where there is a break in proceedings, you will need to seal ballot papers in ballot boxes or another suitable container and store them securely during the break. 

On completion of the verification, you must place the ballot papers for any contests which are not being counted immediately after verification into ballot boxes which are then sealed. You must allow any agents present to attach their seals.3

In order to ensure the security of the ballot papers you could consider:

• storing them in sealed ballot boxes in a locked room, ensuring that you have control of all the keys to that facility
• arranging for security staff to guard the ballot boxes at all times until the verification/count resumes

You should liaise with your police SPOC when deciding on the most appropriate method for ensuring secure storage.

Once the verification/count has resumed, you should open the sealed ballot boxes in clear view of any candidates and agents present, so they can satisfy themselves that nobody has interfered with the ballot boxes or ballot papers.

Securing ballot papers in the event of evacuation from the venue

Occasionally incidents occur during verification and count which may require the evacuation of the venue, either permanently or until the situation has been resolved.  

Obviously, in these circumstances, the safety of attendees is paramount but certain situations may not pose an immediate risk to the safety of staff. Having pre-prepared evacuation plans in place can help to maintain the integrity of the verification and count processes and the security of the ballot papers.  

In the case of an urgent evacuation it may be possible to secure the ballot papers which are still on the tables by locking up the venue or storing them within a locked room in the venue. In that case, you will need to have control of all the keys to that room or to the venue. If you have more time it may be possible to place the ballot papers in ballot boxes and then seal the ballot boxes (inviting agents to affix their seals if possible) and then securing the sealed boxes within the venue.

Sometimes the situation will mean that if the ballot papers are left in the venue they are likely to be damaged. In these situations it may be possible for the ballot papers to be secured within ballot boxes and removed from the venue by staff and taken to a place of safety until the verification and count can resume. In these circumstances, you will benefit from having a clear protocol for sealing the ballot papers within ballot boxes and clear labelling of those boxes. You should also consider how you would ensure the secure transportation of ballot boxes and their subsequent storage in these circumstances.