Councils pressured to count votes on General Election night

Jan 20 2010 by Will Green, The Journal

The Commons Speaker said: “For my own part, I am a passionate believer in instant, not slow-motion, democracy.

“It seems to me that it is in the interests of the House and the country that the count should take place on the night, and there are two overwhelmingly compelling reasons why.

“First, I believe that there could be a threat to the security of the ballot if the count is delayed.

“And, secondly, it seems to me that on the day the election takes place, it should be possible for the count also to take place so that we get the result speedily.”

Just 330 out of 646 returning officers are planning to start counting votes when polls close at 10pm, according to research by the Electoral Commission, sparking fears the overall result could be held up until late the following night.

Newcastle and Northumberland councils will not begin counts until the morning after.

Local councils argue the changes would cut costs and ensure their staff are more alert, but there are fears that the traditional election night drama could be destroyed.

Pressure for election night counts was also growing north of the border yesterday, with Colin Smyth, general secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, claiming it would be a significant move away from tradition if ballots were not tallied up during the night.