Election counts and results

• How does the count work?

  The count is managed locally by Returning Officers.

  At local elections in England and Wales, and at UK Parliamentary elections, the result is worked out by the ‘First past the post' system. That means that the candidate with the most votes is elected.

  At elections to the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales around three-quarters of the seats are allocated using the 'first past the post' system. You also get a second regional vote for a Party. Each Party submits a list of candidates for each electoral region. The remaining seats are allocated to candidates on those lists according to which Party has the most regional votes, and how many seats that party has already won. An individual can stand as a regional candidate and is treated as though he or she were a party with only one name on their list. This voting method is called the 'Additional Member System'.
   
  At local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland and elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly the result is worked out using the 'single transferable vote' system. That means that candidates are ranked using numbers, and votes can be transferred if the first choice candidate no longer needs them. Any candidate that reaches a certain number of votes is elected.

• When are the results announced?

  This will depend on the individual areas and returning officers. In most areas, votes are counted after the close of poll on Thursday evening, but in some areas votes are counted the next morning. If you would like to find out what happens in your area, contact your local elections office.

• What about recounts?

  This is the responsibility of the Returning Officer at your local elections office and often depends on how close the results are. Any candidate can request a re-count, however the Returning Officer can refuse this request if them deem it to be unreasonable.