Barnsley elections 2024: Council MD, Sarah Norman, explains what happens between polls closing and counting

The Star, Sheffield

Sarah Norman, Managing Director of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, speaks to The Star's Chloe Aslett about what happens between polls closing and counts starting.

Transcript

00:00 So last night all the ballot boxes came in from the polling station.

00:04 So I think the last ballot boxes came in about 11 o'clock.

00:07 So that's quite a big logistical operation, receiving all the ballot boxes,

00:11 getting everything into the building, making sure it's all secure and in the right place.

00:15 And then the other thing that we do last night is to verify all the postal votes that have come in at the last minute.

00:22 So that's postal votes that have come either from the post office, from the sweep they do of post boxes on the day,

00:28 and also postal votes that people have taken into polling stations.

00:31 So that's what took us till about one o'clock in the morning.

00:34 And then, so were you in here bright and early this morning as well to just keep it?

00:39 Yes, I was here about 10 to 8 this morning.

00:42 So yes, not that much sleep, but the adrenaline of elections keeps me going.

00:46 And how is the sort of the atmosphere I suppose down there?

00:49 All seems very calm, very positive.

00:52 All the staff have turned up, everyone seems to know what they're doing.

00:55 So I'm confident that we'll have a nice smooth count today.

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