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Worcester Weighs In Against Next-Day Counts
MORI founder Sir Robert Worcester has spoken out against moves to change the timing of local election counts. Councils in his home county of Kent have suggested an end to overnight tallying of votes, a change Sir Robert warns would be 'anti-democratic' and deepen voter apathy.
Two Kent councils, Canterbury and Swale, have already confirmed they want to switch to Friday counts (following traditional Thursday elections) while others are undecided, according to www.kentonline.co.uk . Some, including Medway, Tonbridge and Malling and Thanet have said they intend to continue night-time counts.
Sir Robert, a veteran of through-the-night TV election count coverage, suggested councils were motivated by concerns about their budgets and the costs of paying staff for overnight sessions, and not as claimed about issues with validating postal votes. 'I think it will lead to further voter apathy and disenchantment. Voters will see this as local authorities and their masters acting in their own interests rather than the interests of the voting public, who will be anxious to see who is going to lead them. It is anti-democratic and I am a democrat.' He added: 'In Kent, people will want to know not just who is going to lead the country but who their MP is.'
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