Voting closed in the 2023 City of York Council at 10pm last night – but the count doesn’t begin until 9am today (Friday, 5 May).
This election, the count has moved from the Energise sports centre to York Racecourse.
The count will begin at 9am, when the process to validate the votes begins.
This is a thorough check to ensure all the votes cast have arrived at the count venue securely. Then the total number of votes cast will be counted.
After this has been verified, council officials move to the second stage – counting the votes.
Ballot papers are first sorted by candidate, and then counted.
Any ballot papers thought to be spoilt or doubtful are put to one side to be adjudicated by authorised staff.
The final figures are double checked, and a provisional vote provided to candidates and election agents. It is then that a request for a recount can be made.
Then the returning officer, City of York Council chief operating officer Ian Floyd, will declare the result to those present. And, after every ward has been declared, we will know who is in charge of York for the next few years.
There is no predicted time for the result to be declared. In 2019 it was at 8pm.
Join YorkMix for our live blog of the count to find out the news first.
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