Littledown: the 2017 election count is underway

Image: © Chris Downer Taken: 9 Jun 2017

Looking down into the main hall of Image onto the count for the 2017 general election. (The view is unfortunately slightly marred by the wires through the glass.) The scene is far less frenetic than the last general election, in 2015, because that one included the local elections and was therefore more complex (see Image). It is 2:19am and the declarations of the winning candidates for the two constituencies are just over an hour away. The count staff occupy the area behind the tables as we look. The actual counting staff, working in teams of 6, are seen seated at the tables - those on the right-hand half of the room for the Bournemouth East constituency and those on the left for Bournemouth West. Each side has ten teams of counters, the three facing each other that we see below and seven facing the two side walls, backing onto the three that we see. Towards the rear of the room are the various other staff - those controlling the incoming ballot boxes to be counted, those collating the ballots once counted, the adjudicators, Returning Officer, and back-office staff such as IT, security and whatnot. The candidates and their agents may - and do - observe proceedings and can walk freely around to watch whatever table they wish. They are restricted to the far-left, far-right and central aisle, linked directly below us. They may not touch the tables, nor may they interrupt the work of the count staff, but they can observe that the count is conducted properly, and can also get an idea of how the voting is going as each ballot paper is turned face up and later sorted by candidate. For more discussion on the process for counting, see Image For the first of the two declarations, see Image

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