Empty ballot boxes are delivered to polling stations sealed except for the slot where you post your ballot paper. When the polls close, the slots are also sealed before the boxes are taken to a central counting point in the constituency.
Most counts take place the same night, finishing in the early hours, but some constituencies do not begin counting until the following morning.
The boxes are opened in the presence of a Returning Officer - usually a senior council officer - who is responsible for the smooth running of the count.
A team of people used to dealing with large volumes of paper, such as bank clerks or local government staff, count the ballot papers. First they check that the number of papers in each box tallies with the records made at the polling station. Then they count the votes for each candidate.
Counting is monitored by the candidates and party officials. If the result is close a candidate can request a recount, but it is the Returning Officer's decision.
Ballots with no official stamp, where the choice is not clear, where there is no selection or where more than one candidate has been selected may be rejected. So will any ballot papers which identify the person casting the vote.
Where there is doubt over a vote, the Returning Officer will decide in the presence of all the candidates whether to allow it. Decisions can be challenged later.
There cannot be a tie - if votes are level, the Returning Officer can decide the result by tossing a coin or drawing lots, although this has never happened yet in a general election.
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 Sealed ballot boxes are taken from each polling station to the count
 Papers are counted by people used to counting large volumes
 Candidates' votes are placed in piles of 50 |
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