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DRS e-Counting delivers again in 2006 London elections

DRS e-Counting solutions have once again delivered results efficiently and effectively, and quicker than ever for two DCA funded initiatives in the London local elections on May 4th.

With a combined electorate of around 320,000, DRS e-Counting technology was used to count the votes for the London Borough of Lewisham local and mayoral and the City of Westminster local elections as part of the DCA Electoral Modernisation Program to further evaluate whether the use of e-Counting technology improves the accuracy, security and efficiency of ballot paper counting. Both elections were hailed a success by the Returning Officers, with the results being available just hours after the polling stations closed.

With an electorate of 180,000 and two contests, the London Borough of Lewisham postal, normal and tendered ballot papers were electronically counted using 17 DRS PhotoScribe® PS900 scanners. With a 31.6% turnout, the papers were registered, scanned and verified, and adjudicated where necessary by Local Authority staff, and the results were delivered just four hours after scanning commenced.

Lewisham Returning Officer, Barry Quirk, said “I am delighted with how well the count has gone and how quickly we were able to announce the results. I am particularly impressed by the professionalism, knowledge and commitment of the DRS team and how well they have worked with borough staff.”

In the City of Westminster, it took just two-and-a-half hours for nine DRS PhotoScribe® PS900 scanners to electronically process the ballots for the City elections which has an electorate of 140,000. With a 32% turnout and a contest with each voter choosing up to three votes on the ballot paper, if counted manually it could have taken 140 people anything up to five hours to process.

Westminster Returning Officer, Peter Rogers, said “Using it a second time for our local elections, the DRS e-Counting system has yet again proved to be a huge success. This year we contracted DRS to not only provide its full e-Counting system but also to supply comprehensive electronic count training to borough staff so we could operate the scanners ourselves. We are extremely pleased with how this count was delivered and look forward to using it in a General election.”

Security of the count was paramount and the e-Counting software developed by DRS and independently audited by the DCA and Electoral Commission, is designed to carry out multiple security checks on every single ballot paper during the scanning process, preventing fraudulent papers from being entered into the count. Images were taken of any ballot paper where there was any doubt of the voters’ intent which were then automatically sent to a workstation operated by election officials for adjudication. Any ballot paper that was not recognised as an official ballot was outsourced by the scanner for manual intervention by election staff.

Sonya Anderson, Head of Elections, DRS, commented “DRS is delighted to once again have worked with these two London boroughs. Having processed the Greater London elections in both 2000 and 2004, and local London elections in between, the key to the success of delivering complex counts like these is working in partnership.”

DRS Press Office contact: Katie McBreen, tel: +44(0)1908 423760, pressoffice@drs.co.uk

NOTES FOR EDITORS

DRS has extensive experience in managing e-Counted elections. It worked on the London Mayor, European Parliament and Assembly elections in 2004 and in 2000. The e-Counting pilot schemes for Westminster City Council and Rugby Borough Council in 2002 and the combined County Durham all postal election and Shrewsbury & Atcham’s multi-channel local elections in 2003. It has also worked on the recent complex national elections in Oman, and a range of other worldwide electoral related projects.

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