May 7, 2010 UK General Election 2010

00:30 I leave the Red Lion and head for the count at Stevenage Leisure Centre. I am an ‘Official Counting Agent’ tonight. I’ve been advised to get there sometime after midnight, “Not much happens before then.”

As I walk from the Old Town I fall in with four guys. Three of them are Labour and one Conservative. In Stevenage You can’t tell who’ll be voting for whom from appearances. We’re definitely post-tribal.

One asks who I voted for today. I decline to say. He apologises for asking. Everyone takes the secret part of voting very seriously. They turn for the leisure park to go clubbing. I carry on to the Leisure Centre for the count. I feel very grown up and sensible.

01:00 Arrive Stevenage Leisure Centre. Some constituencies in Sunderland have already returned results! How do they do that? Sunderland’s a Labour strong hold and foregone conclusion. Maybe they just declare for Labour and go down the pub.

In Stevenage they’re still separating local ballot papers from general election ones. As most people fold their voting papers together this takes time. The local election papers are put aside to be counted in the afternoon.

I’ve been given a badge telling the world I’m an ‘Official Counting Agent’. But no one’s told me what I’m supposed to do. I decide to spend some time asking dumb questions. I’m not sure if this is part of my role, but I can’t help verify a vote if I’ve no idea what’s going on.

Every one I talk to is very helpful and willing to explain to me what they are doing and why. There’re a couple of Police officers present. I ask one why they’re here,

“It’s just in case…”

“Are you expecting trouble?”

“Not at all, we are only here as a precaution.”

“What are the plans if there’s trouble?”

“None, seriously, this is Stevenage…”

There’s also some private security present. That bothers me a bit. I recognize one from the Old Town. Apparently Labour have hired part of the Leisure Centre for a private function and the Leisure Centre have employed private security to make sure no one crashes Labour Party’s party.

I spend the next hour drinking coffee and watching the TV as the results come in. A hung parliament is predicted.

02:30 The count is starting in the main hall. There’s a large horseshoe of tables with the counting staff sitting on the inside. There’re chairs on the other side of tables from the counters for observers, agents, candidates and anyone else here to monitor the count.

The ballot papers to be counted are in bags on tables in the centre. These are fed to the counting tables where all the action is.

There’s no organization to the monitoring. All parties have agents present. All candidates are present. Independent observers can apply to be present. Basically you go stand / sit where you like. I suppose the randomness of it all ensures systematic cheating is difficult.

I decide to sit at one table for the whole count rather than wandering around. I sit down and say hello. As usual everyone is polite and friendly. I watch eagle eyed for two hours to see if I can spot any mistake by the counters. They don’t make any.

One of the counters put aside a ballot paper. It has marks in all the boxes. The supervisor passes it. I ask her to explain her decision. Everything stops on my table. This badge makes me quite important.

The paper had one tick , the rest ‘X’s. The rules are explained to me. The voter must clearly differentiate the candidate that they are voting for. So it passes.

I accept that explanation. Perhaps I’m being a pain. To me it’s due diligence, or maybe the power of the badge going to my head.

04:00 The count is over at the tables. All votes have been collected into bundles of 50. The bundles are placed on tables, 2000 to a table I think. We are sitting on the outside of the horse shoe in our party groups. It is obvious that Julia, the LibDem candidate has not won. But it is quite close between Labour and the Conservatives.

05:00 Stevenage declares for the Conservatives. Conservatives cheer, Labour look daggers, everyone else claps politely. Stevenage will have a Conservative MP for the first time since Tony Blair’s landslide in ’97.

05:30 I arrive home and watch TV for an hour. It is definitely going to be a hung parliament.

06:30 I get to bed. I need to be back at the Leisure Centre for 14:00 for the local election count.

Continued Monday with the the local election count.

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