Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Who's Counting When?
I'm trying to work out what to do on the night of May 3/4th but hear conflicting accounts of which counts are happening when. As I understand it most, if not all, of the English local election counts will betaking place during the day of May 4th, rather than overnight, and the Welsh and Scottish Parliament counts will take place overnight on the 3/4th. Is this right? Do people know of many English counts taking place overnight?
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We're counting on the night in NW Leicestershire. Might be an interesting one to watch as well!!
Wales May 3/4 correct. We should have a pretty definitive result somewhere between 4 and 6 AM.
East Herts and Epping Forest districts both counting on the Friday.
Tonbridge is counting on the 4th. A long day to bury bad news I suppose. Those with a job to go to will have to take a day off if they want to participate in the democratic process.
East Herts is counting on the Friday morning
Unfortunately I have to be up early on May 4th so I won't be able to stay up and enjoy the beginning of Labour's demolition.
I understand English councils are about fifty-fifty. The Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly are counting on the night.
There'll certainly be some sort of indication of how badly Labour have done at 6am on Friday...
Hasn't the Government got the results already ?
I thought they had brought in election advisers from Nigeria and Russia
Observer 8:46
No your mistaken, it's Zimbawbe
This sucks! This completely destroys the entire concept of the election night. What's the point of democracy is there's no election night? Might as well not bother.
Suffolk Coastal DC, Ipswich BC and Mid Suffolk DC all taking place on Friday am - some at staggered times.
All blamed on Postal Votes.
Shame!!!
Another New Labour dilution of our tradition.
ST
Think Manchester authorities are doing the usual on the night thing. Almost certain. I know the PA correspondent is planning to be in the Town Hall.
Iain
What do you think of this tacit suport for the MacLean private member's Bill to exempt MPs from the FOI? Both front benches seem to be supporting it.
Floating voters like myself find the Richard Shepherds of this world far more appealing Tories than the authoritarian and secretive Maclean types.
Good look to the little band of libertarians left in the Commons!
Met Borough of Wirral count starts in four centres at 10.00 p.m. Thursday.
Mind you the Tory Group leader and gis Association is so useless one almost expects Labour to gain here (they did last year)
I hope there are going to be people assigned to watch those ballot boxes kept overnight for a count on the 4th.
Auntie Flo'
It's my understanding that Scottish Parliament results will be counted overnight, and local election results will be counted on the Friday.
Travelling around from West and North East Essex during the past few days I've seen just two posters, one nulab, one Lib Dem. Is no one canvassing in Essex?
Auntie Flo'
West Berkshire and Reading Borough counts on Friday morning, reason was the additional two hours added which meant that the count agents were more prone to errors!
I'd suggest a night in Wales. Cardiff North is looking promising for the Conservatives.
Bournemouth and Poole are counting on the night of the 3rd. The rest of Dorset's district councils will count on the morning of the 4th.
Birmingham is counting on the night.
Horsham District Council is counting on the night
Iain - what do think about Lord Warner's comments on whose fault it is for the failings of the NHS as reported today in the telegraph? Apparently, it's the NHS workers fault and not Labours wasteful resources after all. Stinks.
http://www.pickinglosers.com/blog_entry/jg/20070424/you_got_us_in_to_this_mess_you_get_us_out_of_it
Dear Aunty Flo
As an Essex/outer London Tory worker, I can tell you that local yobs, oh sorry I mean Labour workers vandalise Conservative posters - tearing them down, sloshing red paint around, etc. So folks are a tad wary of having them up!
Never mind, no doubt when Prime Minister Brown gets his feet under the desk, things like elections and Parliaments will be rendered redundant, since we will have reached Nirvana under his leadership.
Manchester is counting over night and we might even win a seat this year!
Iain, I'll be at the Cardiff North count if you're planning a trip to wild Wales. Should have a result by 4.
My count is taking place on the morning of the 4th.
Im all for it, fits in better with local pub opening times
Hampshire: the ones I know of are - Basingstoke & Deane is counting Thursday night; Test Valley (all-out elections), New Forest and Winchester are counting on Friday; don't know about the rest.
As far as I know, Sheffield in counting on the Thursday night at Ponds Forge.
Auntie Flo @ 9.47:
Just like when European elections are held on a Thursday and counted on a Sunday, the ballot boxes are locked in police cells until they're ready to be counted.
Presumably, that's once they've kicked the prisoners back into proper prisons.
judith said...
Dear Aunty Flo
As an Essex/outer London Tory worker, I can tell you that local yobs, oh sorry I mean Labour workers vandalise Conservative posters - tearing them down, sloshing red paint around, etc. So folks are a tad wary of having them up!
It's even worse for Independents, Judith, they're hated all the other parties :)
Auntie Flo'
Iain,
On the subject of "counting"...
Something tells me that no-one is going to be counting the advance sales of "The Almanac of British Politics", going on the fact that your earlier item has attracted just five comments (two of which belong to you and me.)
Any chance of a discount for regular readers of your blog?
It sounds vaguely interesting but not forty quid interesting...
Reading and Wokingham UAs are counting on Friday morning.
Bleeding hell Iain,
This posting and the comments that follow it are like watching paint dry...
Even Verity hasn't bothered to stop by tonight.
Was just watching 18DS and was amused to see a comment by a certain "verity" read out regarding who should rule Africa. Can't imagine the BBC allowing that on their shows!
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/sack-patsy/
Go on, you know you want to..
In Southampton we are counting on the Thursday evening.
Iain - I have sent you a private email about the way my comment on 18 Doughty Street was misread by your presenter. And I see she has caused many eager people to come flying in on moonbat wings to condemn me.
I am furious about this.
I am so angry I'm not going back to 18 Doughty Street because this woman should be clucking in a nice garden scratching and picking at bits of corn rather than trying to understand quotation marks.
As you will know from the email I sent you privately, I am furious at being so misrepresented.
No Longer Anonymous, your racism is showing. Verity does not think it is her business, or yours, who "should" rule Africa, as I do not think we have any say in who "should" do anything in Africa and I recommend that we get the hell out of Africa and let them sink or swim (after allowing them access to our markets).
I am an extreme libertarian regarding world trade. Let everyone try their hand. The Africans should be welcome in Europe and SE Asia and N America.
I think Africa is already full of "people" which Ms Tragic Hair seems to think means "white people" who can somehow teach Africans a lesson or guide them.
Your presenter should stick to clucking and pecking the corn because I don't think I have been so angry at such a gross misrepresentation of my beliefs ever. I am a free-trader.
Ok, the pic to the left, very funny.
But now it's gone. This site is surreal.
I believe we're counting on the night in Nottingham.
What should be a simple straightforward and uniform procedure (counting votes when the polls close) is being made into a complete and utterly confusing mess. Are there no rules which govern all this, particularly in view of the security implications of leaving ballot boxes around overnight? Iain, I suggest you simply have an early night and awake refreshed to greet whatever they day brings.
In Broxbourne we are counting on the night. Result due around midnight I would imagine going on past form!
I think the decision on the scheduling of the count is down to each local authority and comes down to good ol' pounds and pence.
It costs more to pay the tellers overtime to work late into the evening - much cheaper to take them away from their usual jobs for a few hours during the day and pay normal rates
Iain, back in Norfolk Great Yarmouth will be counting for the fourteen seats up for election on the Thursday night, and even better news for you... we don't do Lib Dems in GY.
Do you trust the authorities not to stuff the ballot boxes overnight to help NuLab? What do you think?
I hate this Friday count 'thang.
It totally ruins the drama of election night and the tension for the candidates awaiting the result must be unbearable.
It's this f-ing STV bullshit they go for in Scotland and Wales.
Boring electoral system, boring results and boring outcomes.
Clearly there'll be lots of media outlets needing media whore "blogging experts" and "smug Tory pundits" ... so you should have a diary full! Relax, let your diary secretary take the strain. A planning hearing, an auction of political memorabilia, heaven forfend half an hour on the knocker and three hours in a committee room in a convenient authority, just up the road, then fending off MSM offers all evening and into the wee small hours.
Medway is counting overnight, declaring at 5am; Tonbridge & Malling starts at 9am the next day! Pro Plus maybe required...
Justin, a Mr Plod or two guarding boxes overnight should ensure adequate security. However, the shenanigins usually seem to begin with the arrival of the postal votes. The quicker postal voting is eliminated permanently the better.
In Milton Keynes, we're counting on the Friday. How dull.
Wellingborough is counting at 10am on the Friday morning. I have heard postal votes and staff costs both mentioned as reasons.
What did Blair say?I just switched over to Newsnight last night during a piece about Blair in Scotland.A bystander shouted (paraphrased)'Are you telling any more lies Tony' Was Blair's response:'No more lies.I'll leave that to someone else.'--Or was it just wishfull hearing on my part?The narrator of the piece mentioned that Blair seemed to be 'demob happy' so I wonder if anyone has a better recollection?
"No Longer Anonymous, your racism is showing. Verity does not think it is her business, or yours, who "should" rule Africa"
Eh? I was just expressing my amusement that a controversial comment was read out on 18DS that would never in a million years make it onto an equivalent BBC show. I actually happen to agree with your philosophy of get out of Africa.
Iain, Thurrock is counting on the night of the election!
Coventry is counting on the night. Oh well, rather than concentrate Labour's kicking in the ballots, this just means stringing it out, and news ticker tape with Labour loss after Labour loss, and Tory gain after Tory gain, all the lovely sunny day long.
I believe Windsor and Maidenhead are counting on Thursday night
Many counts, including where I am standing, take place on Friday am. However, some candidates may not be aware that many councils are doing the verification exercise of ballot papers on the Thursday. This will confirm the number of papers issued in individual polling district by those actually arriving in the polling box.
What this means is if you want to 'box count' (estimate by polling district), as many candidates / activists do from all 3 parties, you will only be able to do this on the Thursday night. Those thinking of missing the verification may want to think against going to the pub! This is especially the case if a target ward (or analysing for a potential target ward.)
Many councils are also doing the checks on Postal Votes in council offices and NOT count venue. Again suggest those in target wards make sure they have experienced people to monitor the process and especially the automated machines. I know my council have problems issuing and we don't want a Florida!
BTW We have still not managed to establish, despite a request to the officials, who the valid PV are under the new system. To many people have cancelled or not complied with new ID requirements, so central parties data have not caught up with the updates. Clearly a challenge for those on the ground where local target but not a national party target.
Happy campaigning and Good luck to all of you who are standing - that is unless you are my specific opponents:)
As I understand it Iain, here in Dover the abacus sees daylight sometime after day break. This must be political speak for who cares!!
Harlow is counting on the evening should have a result around 1: am.
Auntie Flo'
Postal voting has really distorted camapaigning. Where I live postal votes went out last Friday. If candidates had not got their materials out last week - two weeks before polling day- many people will vote without any knowledge of the candidates. Postal voters are also likely to be those who do cast their vote and the numbers are rising. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 of votes will be postal in my area. Encouraging postal votes has effectively shortened the camapign by two weeks.
in Yorkshire only 3 counts are taking place overnight - Hull, NE Lincs, North Lincs the rest on Friday morning
Postal voting is a euphemism for electoral fraud. Fifty years ago when town halls were staffed by people who could run elections and the electorate were capable of walking to ballot boxes and people with brains were capable of counting ballot papers, it was possible to count ballot papers the same night. It seems that now the business elections have been put into the hands of the gormless and corrupt - they've even given contracts to private sleazebags to distribute ballot papers - democracy has been eradicated from the UK. How on earth can we be expected to believe the result of any election held here. That's Tony Blair's legacy.
Counting starts in the Edinburgh local elections at 12:30pm on Friday 4th. First time with STV and scanners counting the votes.
The local council count in Edinburgh starts at 12:30pm on Friday 4th. That gives the council staff time to recover from the overnight count of Scottish Parliament and allows leeway as this is the first time STV has been used and the votes counted (or maybe not) by scanners.
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