Northern Ireland

Tight assembly election race 'contributed to slow count'

The election count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Picture by Kirth Ferris, Pacemaker
The election count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Picture by Kirth Ferris, Pacemaker The election count at Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Picture by Kirth Ferris, Pacemaker

THE chief electoral officer said Covid-19 concerns and a tight assembly race affected the speed of the election count last week.

It took three days for all seats in the election to be counted - compared to just 19 hours in 2017.

Counting began at 8am on Friday and did not finish until 1am on Sunday when the 90th seat - claimed by the DUP's Gary Middleton in Foyle - was announced.

Chief electoral officer, Virginia McVea said she was not concerned by the speed of the count.

She said the relaxation of Covid restrictions had meant authorities across the UK had found it more difficult than usual to recruit and retain staff.

She said 25 per cent of volunteers dropped out after the government decided that people who tested positive for Covid-19 were allowed to vote in person.

Ms McVea told the BBC the loss of experienced volunteers meant new responsibilities were passed to newer election workers.

She praised volunteers for their willingness to "take on jobs they had not done before".

But she said the tight election race was ultimately the reason for the long count.

"It's just how the votes fell this time," she said.

In Northern Ireland's single transferable vote (STV) system, transfers are hugely important in getting candidates elected.

Ms McVea said the system is "brilliant in terms of giving people more of a say" but also has "very strict rules".

"In 2017, we saw unprecedented numbers of exclusions at stages, helping the count move rapidly on," she said.

"In 2022, we had a much closer run through many stages, with slow exclusions and reaching quota."

The counting process was spread across just three centres - a much smaller number than usual - in Belfast, Jordanstown and Magherafelt.

Ms McVea said she knew the poll would be a challenge and thanked election staff for their work.

"I am so grateful to the people of Northern Ireland who came out to make this election happen during a pandemic, knowing that people with Covid would be allowed to enter polling stations and the count," she said.

"I am very pleased with how all those paid volunteers worked with our hugely experienced leadership team to bring the election reliably to completion."

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