FACTSHEET 07
Electronic counting
of ballot papers
The 2004 elections for the Mayor
of London, the London Assembly
and the European Parliament, will
use the latest electronic counting
technology to calculate the results.
What is electronic counting?
The electronic counting, or ‘e-counting’, to be used
involves scanning ballot papers through specially
designed machines rather than counting them by hand.
These machines automatically count the vote (or votes)
on each ballot paper. This means that multiple votes
using different voting systems can be counted at the
same time. Once the votes are counted, the system
calculates the results for each election.
Why do we need e-counting?
E-counting has been chosen because it is very accurate
and the ballot papers would take too long to count by
hand. Three different voting systems will be used, which
means voters will cast five votes on three separate ballot
papers. Machines can count these efficiently and quickly,
whereas a manual count of the 2004 election ballot
papers would take days.
How much does e-counting cost?
The total cost will be around £4.85m. This includes costs
of staff, training, e-counting machines and associated
hardware and software, the design and printing of ballot
papers, ballot boxes, and administration and technical
support in the count centres and at City Hall.
Is e-counting accurate?
E-counting is very accurate. Each ballot paper has a unique
bar code, so it cannot be counted twice. Electronic images
of all doubtful ballot papers – where the voter’s intent is
not clear or there are other marks on the paper – are sent
to separate computer screens for ‘adjudication’, where
election officials interpret the voter’s original intention
and decide whether to count the paper or reject it.
What do the ballot papers look like?
Ballot papers for the 2004 London elections will be similar
to traditional ballot papers but each will have a unique
barcode. The barcodes also allow each ballot to be
identified with a constituency. The mayoral ballot paper
is pink, the London Assembly ballot paper is yellow and
orange, and the European Parliament ballot paper is white.
Are votes secret?
Yes. However, in very particular circumstances, a judge can
request that all votes are checked. Only in this case can a
vote be traced back to the voter. This is also the case with
traditional voting. Each ballot paper has a unique
barcode for security. The barcode is also on the ballot
paper's counterfoil. Polling station staff write the number
for each voter (from the electoral register) on the
counterfoil. This is to prevent electoral fraud. However, a
court order is required before any ballot paper can be
traced back to a voter. The same law applies to e-
counting as to a traditional manual count.
How does the process work?
Voters cast their five votes on three ballot papers, choosing:
■ A first choice for Mayor of London
■ A second choice for Mayor of London
■ One vote for a Constituency Member
of the London Assembly
■ One vote for a London-wide Member
of the London Assembly
■ One vote for a Member of the European Parliament
Voters insert their completed ballot papers into ballot boxes
at the polling station. Voters will be asked not to fold their
ballot papers, as this will slow down the e-counting
process. When the polling station closes, the ballot boxes
are taken to the constituency counting centre, which is
under the control of the constituency returning officer.
Ballot papers from each polling station are then removed
and organised into piles with a ‘control’ sheet, which lists
the number of ballot papers issued by the polling station.
Each control sheet is scanned, and the number of papers is
entered into a database. Ballot papers in each pile are then
fed through the same scanning machines.
The scanner performs a number of operations at the same
time. It checks against various security features to ensure
the ballot paper is genuine. It counts the number of ballot
papers being fed through it, records how each vote has
been cast and stores images of ‘doubtful’ ballot papers
(where the voter’s intention is unclear). Images of all When are the results declared?
doubtful papers are taken and stored for later adjudication
Results are not all declared at once. One set will be
by election officials. Any ballot papers that cannot
declared at the constituency count centres and the
physically be fed through the scanner (e.g. if torn or
others at City Hall.
screwed up) are entered manually into the database by
an election official. The number of ballot papers scanned The constituency returning officer declares which candidate
is then ‘verified’ by comparing it with the number issued has been elected as the London Assembly Member for that
on the control sheet. If there is a difference in these constituency. This result is declared at the constituency
numbers, election staff will investigate and may re-scan counting centre. The results data is also sent to the
a batch of ballot papers. Once the numbers have been Greater London Returning Officer for information.
confirmed, the count data is stored.
Once City Hall has received data from all 14 individual
The images of doubtful ballot papers are adjudicated constituencies, the results are calculated for the London
by election officials on screen. They decide how to Mayoral and the London-wide Assembly Member
interpret the voter’s intent and enter votes, or the elections, and declared by the GLRO. The results will
reason for rejecting, them separately into the database. also be available on the London Elects website
(www.londonelects.org.uk).
Once the counting and adjudication process has finished,
the data is stored and sent securely to City Hall. Finally, on Sunday 13 June 2004, the Regional Returning
Officer (RRO) for London declares the European Parliament
Where will the count take place?
results, once voting across the EU is completed (9pm). The
The count will take place in 10 venues across London, GLRO is also the RRO for London.
known as count centres. For a complete list of these, see
Who supplies the e-counting system?
Figure 1. The count will begin at 8.30am on Friday 11 June.
DRS Data & Research Services plc will provide the
e-counting system for the 2004 London elections. DRS
Figure 1: Count Centres across London designs and manufactures its own e-counting software
Constituency Venue
and hardware for specific needs, and has extensive
Barnet & Camden Alexandra Palace elections experience. In May 2003, DRS provided a
Bexley & Bromley Walnut Sports Centre, Orpington successful e-counting system for the first multiple council
City and East Newham Leisure Centre
elections in the United Kingdom in County Durham.
(Newham, Barking DRS provided the electronic vote-counting for the first
& Dagenham, Tower
Hamlets, City of London)
Mayoral and London Assembly election in 2000. The
system worked well: the results were announced by
Croydon & Sutton Westcroft Leisure Centre, Sutton lunchtime the following day. However there were some
Ealing & Hillingdon Olympia organisational problems and minor technical issues at
Enfield and Haringey Alexandra Palace some count centres. These have been addressed and
resolved, and the software for the 2004 election has
Greenwich & Lewisham Banqueting Suite,
Millennium Dome greatly improved, especially in the ability to detect
and take an image of doubtful ballot papers.
Havering & Redbridge Hornchurch Sports Centre
Lambeth & Southwark Brixton Recreation Centre Further references
Merton & Wandsworth Wandsworth Town Hall Civic Suite Factsheet 5: How the voting systems work
North East Alexandra Palace Factsheet 12: London’s returning officers
(Hackney, Islington www.drs.co.uk
Waltham Forest)
www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/pubserv/
South West Hounslow Civic Centre
(Hounslow, Richmond
elections.pdf (London Assembly scrutiny report
Upon Thames, Kingston on the 2000 election)
Upon Thames)
West Central Olympia
(Hammersmith and
Fulham, Kensington
and Chelsea, Westminster)

Last updated: 25 February 2004

London Elects 4 Brewery Square London SE1 2LF Tel 020 7983 4447 Fax 020 7407 3679
Email info@londonelects.org.uk www.londonelects.org.uk