Guidance for Returning Officers administering Local Government Elections in England

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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. 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.1  

As local RO, you must inform the CARO/CCARO of the contents of the verification statement for the combined authority election.2  The CARO/CCARO will provide guidance on how this should be done.

If, on completion of verification, you do not proceed immediately to the counting of the votes, you should place the ballot papers and other documents in secure packets under your own seal and the seals of any agents present who wish to affix their own seals.3  

You should take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the ballot papers and the relevant stationery during any break in the verification and count proceedings. 

Further information can be found in our guidance on ensuring the security of ballot boxes.

Once the verification of all ballot boxes from polling stations and of all postal vote ballot boxes is complete and the verification statement produced for each poll, any ballot papers which are not to be counted until a later time must be separated by poll, placed into containers and sealed. They must then either be securely stored until the counting of votes or be delivered to the relevant Returning Officer or Counting Officer (as appropriate) for counting.4

Where containers of verified ballot papers are sealed for transport or storage to be counted later, candidates and agents for the poll the papers relate to have the right to then add their own seals.5

At a combined authority or combined county authority mayoral election the CARO/CCARO can direct that the counting of votes be conducted at a central location.6  Where the combined authority/combined county authority mayoral election count is to take place at a different venue to the verification, as local RO, you should place all the verified ballot papers into secure packets, such as ballot boxes, for transportation to the count venue. These packets should be marked with the name of your authority and the name of the combined authority area. You may need to liaise with the CARO/CCARO regarding specific arrangements for transporting verified ballot papers to the count venue. 

In addition, you should produce a record of all the packets of verified ballot papers that you are transporting to the combined authority count venue and the contents of each of these. You should deliver this record, the ballot paper accounts, and a copy of the final statement as to the result of the verification to the combined authority count venue along with the packets of verified ballot papers.

Last updated: 14 March 2024