Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

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Completion of verification

Verification can only be completed once all postal ballot papers, including those received at polling stations, have been opened and processed, and have been through the verification process. 

Verification statement

You must ensure that the verification statement containing the result of the verification of each ballot box is completed.

The statement must in each case include the total number of postal ballot papers and the total number of ballot papers verified for the poll.1 You should sign the statements.

Any agent may make a copy of the statement as to the result of the verification and, to promote confidence in the result, you should make copies available for the agents present once verification has been completed.2

The verification statement is a key communication tool that will help to ensure that candidates and agents are confident that the processes at the verification and count are transparent and that they will produce an accurate result.

In the case of a constituency that covers more than one local authority and where the verification will be decentralised, you should ensure a process is in place to inform you of the contents of the verification statement for the local area.

If, on completion of verification, the counting of the votes does not proceed immediately, ballot papers and other documents should be placed in secure packets under their own seal and the seals of any agents present who wish to affix their own seals.

Necessary steps should be taken to ensure the security of the ballot papers and the relevant stationery during any break in the verification and count proceedings.

Where the counting of votes is to be conducted at a central location that is a different venue to the verification, all the verified ballot papers should be placed into secure packets, such as ballot boxes, for transportation to the count venue. These packets should be marked with the name of the local authority area. You may need to liaise with any appointed deputies regarding any specific arrangements for transporting verified ballot papers to the count venue.

In addition, a record of all the packets of verified ballot papers that you are transporting to the count venue and the contents of each of these should be produced. This record should be delivered with the ballot paper accounts, and a copy of the final statement as to the result of the verification to the count venue along with the packets of verified ballot papers.

Last updated: 29 April 2026