Speaker backs demands for general election counts on the night

The Speaker of the House of Commons has backed calls for general election counts to take place on the night rather than the next day.

Responding to a point of order brought by Dr Julian Lewis, MP for New Forest (East), John Bercow said: “For my own part, I am a passionate believer in instant, not slow motion, democracy. It seems to me that it is in the interests of the House and the country that the count should take place on the night.”

The speaker said there are two “overwhelmingly compelling reasons” for his view. These are:

• There could be a threat to the security of the ballot if the count is delayed
• On the day the election takes place, it should be possible for the count also to take place so that the result is reached speedily.

“Frankly, it should not be beyond the wit and sagacity of humankind – or indeed of local authorities – to ensure that that happens,” he added.

Responsibility for deciding when the count should take place rests with the returning officer, who can take into account local circumstances.

The Speaker said there should not be passive acceptance of the particular views of individual local authority chief executives, but rather an assertion of leadership nationally and politically, at a local level, to achieve what MPs wanted to see.

The Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman, and her shadow, Sir George Young, recently agreed that the count should be held on the night unless absolutely unavoidable.

A Facebook campaign, Save General Election Night, was launched after the Times revealed in September 2009 that many councils were planning to count votes on the Friday morning and not on Thursday night.