Keeping with tradition

Those of you who know me know that I hold great stock in tradition and the belief that the old ways are often the best.  Of course it is foolish to be 100% anti-change, but there are some things that are simply sacrosanct for one reason or another.


One particular thing is the tradition of election night, especially when a General Election is concerned.  The ballot boxes are brought in and everyone involved gathers round for a tense night of waiting; whilst those who choose not to stay up to the wee small hours wake up to a new Government in the morning.

But this most British of electoral traditions is now under threat from Council chiefs hell-bent on saving money by delaying the counting of the votes until the Friday morning.  Depending on who you listen to, anywhere between 25% and 80% of Councils are planning to hold their counts on the Friday morning.

Even if you throw out the "tradition" argument, there are still a number of problems created by not counting all the votes on the Thursday night.

Knowing who has won
One of the main benefits of a Thursday-night count, is that the victor is known by the time the country wakes up on the Friday morning.  This not only provides political continuity (there are no MPs between 0700 on polling day and whenever a result is returned) but can also have a knock-on effect on the international community.

Recent financial events have shown that the international community are losing faith in the Pound whilst Brown & Co. are at the helm.  Without an outright decision on the Friday morning, and the threat of a Labour/Hung parliament, the markets could open to mass panic; causing a global run on Sterling.  This could be avoided if the political make-up of the country is known by 9am Friday morning.

Reduction in involvement and coverage
Election Night Special is somewhat of a British tradition.  Even those who normally don't concern themselves with politics will stay up until four or five in the morning to watch the results coming in.  The lack (or limit) of such coverage may well persuade people to turn off and go to bed, thus creating a situation where even more of our population take no interest in politics whatsoever.

Threats to the integrity of the ballot

In an age where accusations of electoral fraud are becoming ever more common (Glenrothes in 2008 and Birmingham in 2005) leaving ballot boxes, blank ballot papers and polling registers overnight could lead to further allegations, particularly in any close-run contests.

Whilst an internet campaign has yielded results (Jack Straw announcing a bill compelling Returning Officers to commence counting within four hours of the end of polling) they would not appear to be wide-reaching enough, with a re-wording giving Returning Officers an awful lot of leeway should they wish to count on the Friday instead.

With the upcoming election having so much at stake, it would be madness to leave the country (and the international community) guessing for any longer than is necessary.  That is why the counts must take place as soon as possible, even if it does mean spending a little more in wages.