Published on:
08
May 2014
Mary Pitcaithly, the Chief Counting Officer (CCO), has announced that she will publish the formal Notice for the Scottish Independence Referendum on Wednesday 13th August 2014 and that poll cards will be issued to voters on 14th and 15th August 2014. Postal ballot papers will be issued by 28th August.
This is one of eight directions that the CCO has issued to local Counting Officers (COs), including Elaine McPherson, who is the Counting Officer for Clackmannanshire, to ensure the proper and effective conduct of the referendum. Other directions include an instruction that ballot papers must be white and that there will be one Official Mark for the whole of Scotland carried on all ballot papers. The front of the ballot paper will bear this official security mark and the back will carry a unique identifying number and the name of the relevant council area.
Due to the anticipated high turnout across Scotland, COs are being directed to print 120 per cent of the ballot papers required for both postal voters and those who vote in person at polling stations, so there are always spare papers in case any are destroyed or damaged . To minimise delays, they are also being directed to appoint one polling clerk for every 800 voters eligible to cast their vote in person at the polling stations and have additional staff available to move between polling stations to help manage peaks and troughs during the day.
The CCO has confirmed that the count will take place overnight on Thursday 18th September and start as soon as reasonably practicable after the close of poll. The count for Clackmannanshire will take place in Alloa Town Hall.
Mary Pitcaithly commented: "My focus is on ensuring that all elements of planning and delivery of the Scottish Independence Referendum are undertaken with the interests of the voter at the heart of all decisions. I believe these directions will inspire confidence and provide consistency in the process so that we can administer a successful Referendum, with a result that everyone will trust as accurate."
Elaine McPherson, CO for Clackmannanshire Council added: "We are committed to ensuring that our voting and counting processes are robust, transparent and secure to ensure voters in Clackmannanshire have confidence in our local result and the overall national result."
1. The eight directions issued by the CCO are:
- Polling Station staffing ratios - all COs should ensure that polling stations are adequately staffed to ensure that voters will be able to cast their vote without having to wait in a queue for an unacceptable time. There will be peaks and troughs throughout the day and to minimise delays, additional polling clerks should appointed on the basis of one polling clerk for every 800 voters eligible to cast their vote in person. In addition, COs may wish to consider employing a number of peripatetic staff who could respond to specific pressures which arise on referendum day.
- Colour of ordinary and tendered ballot papers - The format of the ballot paper is prescribed in terms of Schedule 1 to the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 (the Act). The ballot papers should be white, with tendered papers pink.
- Official Mark, Unique Identifying Mark and Ballot Paper numbering system - Schedule 1 to the Act requires the back of the ballot paper to bear both a unique identifying number and the name of the relevant council area. To ensure that no two papers bear the same number, a prefix made up of three alpha characters will be used, with the prefix having an "R" to denote referendum followed by the last two characters from the traditional (pre-2011) ONS codes for Scottish Local Authorities (RQF for Clackmannanshire). In addition, there will one Official Mark for the whole of Scotland for ballot papers to be issued from polling stations and a separate Official Mark for the whole Electoral Region for ballot papers to be issued to postal voters.
- Date of dispatch of poll cards - The Act requires COs to issue poll cards as soon as is reasonably practicable after publishing the notice of the referendum which, in turn, requires to be published not later than the twenty-fifth day before the date of the referendum, i.e. Thursday 14 August 2014. The Notice of Referendum will be published on Wednesday 13 August. All COs should ensure that poll cards are dispatched between Thursday 14 August 2014 and Friday 15 August 2014. Arrangements should be made for the poll cards to be issued by second class post.
- Date of dispatch of postal ballot packs - Section 21 of Schedule 2 of the Act states that postal ballot papers and postal voting statements should be issued as soon as is practicable. All COs should ensure that all postal votes are dispatched between Tuesday 26 August 2014 and Thursday 28 August 2014. Arrangements should be made for the postal votes to be issued by first class post.
- Ballot Paper printing - It is generally accepted that there will be a particularly high turnout at the referendum, and all COs should ensure printing of 120% of the ballot papers required for both postal voters and those who vote in person at polling stations. This is intended to provide an appropriate contingency in case of unexpected printing problems, damage to or loss of ballot papers. This degree of contingency reflects the use of two official marks for ballot books and postal ballot papers.
- Timing of verification and counting of the votes - Section 29 (1) of Schedule 3 to the Act requires COs to make arrangements for counting of the votes as soon as reasonably practicable after the close of the poll. For the avoidance of doubt, "as soon as reasonably practicable" is between the hours of 22:01 and 23:00 on Thursday 18 September 2014, i.e. this will be an overnight count commencing at the close of polls.
- Method of verifying and counting of the votes - Section 30 (2) of Schedule 3 of the Act requires COs to carry out a verification of the ballot paper account with:
COs must prepare a statement of this verification, which may be copied by counting agents present and this should be made available to them as a matter of course, to support transparency.