Guidance for Returning Officers administering Local Government Elections in England
The verification process
The verification of the used, unused and spoilt ballot papers is a legal requirement, and is central to the declaration of accurate results.1
You must verify each ballot paper account and draw up a statement as to the result of the verification.2 This is a record of the number of ballot papers expected and the number of ballot papers counted, along with an explanation for any variances.
Any agent may make a copy of this, and you should make copies available for the agents present once verification has been completed. 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.
As with all aspects of the verification and count process, transparency is key and the process followed should be clear to all present.
The key stages of the verification process are described in the following table:
Stage | Action to follow |
---|---|
Opening the packets of unused ballot papers |
|
Opening the ballot boxes |
|
Organising the ballot papers |
|
Reconciling the papers |
|
Combination
The ballot papers must be sorted into their respective polls and the verification procedure completed for each of them.7
If electors have been asked to place their ballot papers in separate ballot boxes for each poll, the different ballot boxes should be verified at the same time, either at adjacent tables simultaneously or one after the other at the same table and any ballot paper placed in the ‘wrong’ box should be moved to the correct ballot box.8
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Cross-checking processes
It is easy for simple arithmetic or transposition errors to be made, particularly when people become tired. You therefore need to put in place processes to mitigate this risk, such as ensuring that the recording of figures and every calculation is checked by more than one person.
The ballot papers are placed into bundles at various stages of the verification and it is important that procedures are put in place to double-check that the bundles have the correct number of ballot papers in them and, at the count stage, that they contain no more votes than the maximum allowed. This will be crucial to the accuracy of the verification and count.
You should make staff aware of this during briefings/training and senior staff should be alert to this at all times and intervene immediately if this is not being done.
- 1. Rule 45(7) Schedule 2 Principal Areas Rules 2006 (LEPAR 2006), Rule 45(7) Schedule 2 Parishes and Communities Rules 2006 (PCR 2006), Rule 47(8) Schedule 1 Mayoral Elections Rules 2007 (LAM Rules 2007), Rule 47(1) Schedule 1 Combined Authorities Mayoral Rules 2017 (CAM Rules 2017) ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rule 45(7) Sch 2 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(7) Sch 2 PCR 2006, Rule 47(8) Sch 1 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(8) Sch 1 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Rule 45(7) Sch 2 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(7) Sch 2 PCR 2006, Rule 47(8) Sch 1 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(7) Sch 1 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Rule 45(1) Sch 2 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(1) Sch 2 PCR 2006, Rule 47(1) Sch 1 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(1) Sch 1 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Rule 45(6) Sch 2 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(6) Sch 2 PCR 2006, Rule 47(7) Sch 1 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(5) Sch 1 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
- 6. Rule 45(7) Sch 2 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(7) Sch 2 PCR 2006, Rule 47(8) Sch 1 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(7) Sch 1 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 6
- 7. Rule 45(1) Sch 3 LEPAR, Rule 45(1) Sch 3 PCR 2006, Rule 47(1) Sch 3 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(1) Sch 3 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 7
- 8. Rule 45(3) Sch 3 LEPAR 2006, Rule 45(2) Sch 3 PCR 2006, Rule 47(3) Sch 3 LAM Rules 2007, Rule 47(5) Sch 3 CAM Rules 2017 ↩ Back to content at footnote 8