The count for the Erewash Constituency in the 6th May General Election will be held at West Park Leisure Centre in Long Eaton – immediately after the polls close.
It was decided that Erewash would stick with tradition and hold the count once voting ends at 10pm, following nationwide discussions on whether counts should be held the following morning – and despite the increased difficulty of doing so as postal voting increases.
So once ballot boxes are sealed in the 51 polling stations across Erewash, they will be taken straight to the Leisure Centre, where more than 80 staff will be in place and ready for the ‘count-off’.
In the last General Election in 2005, the Erewash result was declared at 3.48am – so the counting staff and election team already know it could be a long night!
The national debate on whether counts should be moved to the next morning hit the headlines at the end of last year and sparked a ‘save general election night’ campaign. The extra work of postal votes received on election day changes the nature of the count and in many areas of the country local elections are also being held.
Jeremy Jaroszek, the Acting Returning Officer for Erewash and Chief Executive of Erewash Borough Council, says:
“Here in Erewash we decided to respect tradition and our count will go ahead on General Election night as always. There is always a buzz as the ballot boxes arrive and the counting of the votes gets underway – and, despite the late hour, there is the excitement of the build-up to the declaration of the result.
“It is a very long day for many people who work the General Election, with a shift that could well exceed 24 hours, and my thanks go to them for their hard work, commitment and professionalism. We certainly won’t be in any race to declare as quickly as possible – it is accuracy that is key. Accuracy means efficiency and the result will then be declared in good time. But of course, recounts, if any, could delay the result.”
Here are some General Election 2010 facts for Erewash:
- There are 51 polling stations where residents cast their votes – in the likes of community centres, schools, village halls, church halls and a cricket pavilion
- 77 poll clerks and 51 presiding officers will ‘man’ the stations
- 5 polling station inspectors will drop in to do regular checks to ensure the stations are set up correctly
- At West Park Leisure Centre, 54 counting assistants plus 9 supervisors will count the ballot papers. Another 20 will deal with postal votes and oversee the count/collate the results.
