The Count Process

1. The Returning Officer must ensure that only those entitled to be at the count are in the room when the count begins. The count of the two ballot boxes from the polling station will be carried out in the order of the electoral district first followed by the All Islands district.
    
2. The votes will be counted in the polling stations in which they were cast. As a result, at the close of poll, the presiding officer must hand over the boxes, keys and other materials to the Returning Officer except in those stations where the presiding officer has been appointed as an Assistant Returning Officer and will carry out the count themselves.
    
3. The ballot papers for the two elections will be in separate boxes duly coloured white and green to signify which ballot papers should be in which box. However, it will be necessary to check both boxes before proceeding to the first count to ensure that papers are not in the incorrect box. The boxes will be opened in the sequence of the electoral district followed by the All Islands district.
    
4. The Returning Officer will record and count the votes for each candidate. Once the Returning Officer has established a provisional result, it will be shared with any candidates or agents who are present. At this point, any candidate or agent may immediately demand a recount. If such a demand is made, it must be carried out in the same manner as the original count.
    
5. Where the recount takes place depends on the nature of the polling station at which the count is being held. This is set out in the following table:
   

   Nature of polling station	Location of recount
   For a single electoral district with only one polling station	At that station
   For a single electoral district with more than one polling station	At the principal station
   For the All Islands district	At the central location on Grand Turk

    

6. The declaration of the result can only be made by the Returning Officer for the electoral district. For a single electoral district with only one polling station, the result will be declared in that polling station.
    
7. For a single electoral district with more than one polling station, the result will be declared at the principal polling station. At the end of a count in such a polling station, the Assistant Returning Officer must arrange for the record of the number of votes cast for each candidate to be delivered to the Returning Officer at the principal station. A list of the principal polling stations for each electoral district is attached.
    
8. Once the Returning Officer has cleared the provisional result with the candidates and agents and dealt with any recounts, they are in a position to announce the result and declare the winning candidate elected. An official declaration will be made in the station and will be repeated publicly outside the station for any public or media present.
    
9. Once the result of the electoral district has been declared and the paperwork etc. cleared away, the count for the All Islands district will be commenced. This count follows the same process as set out above. Voters can vote for up to five candidates and any votes on a ballot paper up to that number must be counted.
    
10. The end of the counting process marks the end of the count for the All Islands district so far as individual polling stations are concerned. Once the count is completed in a single electoral district with more than one polling station, the Assistant Returning Officer follows the same process as set out above by arranging for the record of the number of votes cast for each candidate to be delivered to the Returning Officer at the principal station. For electoral districts with only one polling station, the Returning Officer will have a record for the total of votes for each candidate for the whole district.
     
11. For electoral districts with more than one polling station, the Returning Officer will calculate the totals by adding together the records of the votes cast for each candidate to arrive at the total of votes for each candidate for the whole district.
     
12. The Returning Officer will then arrange for the various items to be secured and then made available to be delivered to the Returning Officer for the All Islands district at the central location at Dillon Hall on Grand Turk. The central calculation for the All Islands district will take place on Grand Turk on Saturday morning when there will be an opportunity for any candidate to ask for a recount. In such a case, the same process will be used for the recount.
     
13. Once the Returning Officer has cleared the provisional result with the candidates and agents and dealt with any recounts, they are in a position to announce the result and declare the winning candidates elected. An official declaration will be made in the station and will be repeated publicly outside the station for any public or media present.
     

List of Principal Polling Stations