The SF local election exit poll.

[mahonia]

The polls have now closed.

 

There is now nothing more that candidates can do to win over any potential voters.

 

Tomorrow the candidates will face the verdict of their electorate. I believe that jgharston, The Chavs as well as myself will be bringing you the results at different points in time, with details of the winners and losers, any nail biting recounts, and what the political landscape of our city will look like for the next two years.

 

Labour need just 2 overall gains to become the majority administration, and the Lib Dems need just 4 overall gains to become the majority administration. Anything less for either party will mean another hung council.

 

These are the results to watch out for:

 

 

DORE & TOTLEY

Will Cllr Anne Smith survive as the only Conservative city councillor, or will the Lib Dems take this crucially needed seat?

 

Please Please Please Lib Dem

[Fivetide]

i akchully vowted BNP bekause i fink thi sound.cos all slalom seykers are cumming ere and tekking all jobs and brung all this global warming wi em.

 

JUST KIDDING ,voted lib dems

 

Oh boy. What does it say about my prejudices that I was thinking 'Ha! Typical!' as I read the first part of this post?

[boyfriday]

Oh boy. What does it say about my prejudices that I was thinking 'Ha! Typical!' as I read the first part of this post?

 

..that your prejudices are grounded in fact, not fiction!

[redrobbo]

Why isn't Sheffield starting counting until 10 tomorrow? As far as I can recall, waiting up for results in previous years, this could be a first. It breaks with tradition, takes the excitement (and heaven knows there isn't a lot!) out of politics. I'm not happy about this. Again, it stinks of "we know best". If people in other parts of the country who pay a lot less council tax than us, get to wait up to see the count, why can't we?

 

Actually, it doesn't break with tradition.

 

The all-out and all postal vote city council election of 2004 was counted at Ponds Forge the next day, as were the council elections of 2006 and 2007.

 

The last time city council elections were counted on the same day was in 2003. On that occasion the polls closed at 9.00pm. The polls now close at 10.00pm, and most of the election officials who would be expected to count the results started staffing the polling stations at 7.00am.

 

Tired staff do not make efficient counters.

 

However.... most of the candidates (if not all of them!) would have preferred that the count was tonight. Instead, their anxieties continue for a little longer yet!

[wolfstalin]

Actually there is. They can get hold of the ballot boxes while they're "stored in a safe place" and rig the results.

 

Does nobody else find it worrying that we're condemning the Zimbabwe government for delaying election results, and yet we're delaying election results?

 

Its exceedingly worrying Heyesay and leaves open all sorts of possibilities for vote rigging.

 

What's more there's no earthly reason to do this, since voting began in England counts have always been instantaneous so as to eliminate any possibility that the ballot boxes could be tampered with.

[DIVA]

NETHER EDGE

Although normally regarded as a Lib Dem held seat, if you've passed through Abbeydale Road in the last few weeks, you can't have failed to notice the profusion of Labour posters. Can Labour pull off a surprise result?

 

Does that depend on the efficiency of the local taxi service?

[redrobbo]

Who is the returning officer, and on who's say does he/she act, redrobbo?

 

Liz Bashforth is the Returning Officer this year, following the departure of Sir Bob Kerslake.

 

The Returning Officer acts in their own right.

[rubydazzler]

Tired or not, they always made efficient counters in past years ... all the excitement, the trust and suspense has been purged from elections since this new system was put in place. The polling station staff used to make it a point of honour to be first back to the count with their sealed ballot boxes. They then used to leave and other people used to do the count, iirc.

 

I can't see the point of having to wait for a day or more for the results. Whoever took this decision to make the electorate wait for the results of their votes - it stinks! Probaby the 'City Solicitor' as he used to be known ... I can't believe the Returning Officer would be allowed to make such a decision off his/her own bat.

[redrobbo]

There are about 100 councils counting tonight. These include Thurrock, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Sandwell and Dudley.

 

Another 60 councils are counting on Friday. They include Bradford, Leeds, Calderdale, Burnley, Stoke-on-Trent, Epping Forest and Sheffield.

[redrobbo]

Tired or not, they always made efficient counters in past years ... all the excitement, the trust and suspense has been purged from elections since this new system was put in place. The polling station staff used to make it a point of honour to be first back to the count with their sealed ballot boxes. They then used to leave and other people used to do the count, iirc.

 

 

I too think the suspense and the excitement has indeed been diminished rubydazzler.

 

Instead of individual results coming into a central base, e.g., the Town Hall reception rooms, all wards are now counted under the same roof at the same time, and the atmosphere just isn't the same.