Related Solutions
- Examinations and Assessment electronic data capture solutions
- e-Registration Solutions | Student registration monitoring systems
- Education Automated Forms Processing and Data Capture
- e-Elections - Electronic election processing and data capture
- Census data capture technologies (population census)
- Document Processing Systems
DRS delivers Scottish STV by-election results in record time
DRS e-Counting solutions have once again delivered results efficiently and effectively in Scotland, this time in the Helensburgh and Lomond South Ward by-election. Following the success of the highly complex 2007 STV Scottish Local Government elections, Argyll and Bute Council were quick to re-establish their partnership with DRS.
Returning Officer, Nigel Stewart hailed the Helensburgh and Lomond South Ward election a huge success, with results being available within one hour.
Building on a partnership that began back in 2005 when Argyll and Bute chose to be the first council in Scotland to make use of the DRS e-Counting technology for Argyll and Bute’s Community Council Elections, Nigel Stewart was keen to work with DRS again. “I have always had confidence in the e-Counting technology to deliver accurate results efficiently and effectively. The DRS e-Counting system is a robust and reliable system and we deployed it to improve the speed, accuracy and efficiency of the STV election count process, and it did just that.”
With an electorate of just under six thousand, the Helensburgh and Lomond South Ward postal and normal ballot papers were electronically counted using two DRS PhotoScribe® scanners. With a 37.4% turnout, the papers were registered, scanned, verified and adjudicated where necessary by the Returning Officer and his staff, and the results were delivered just 60 minutes after scanning commenced. The complex single transferable count finally went to four stages. If counted manually it could have taken around 30 people anything between three and four hours to process this complex count.
Sonya Anderson, Head of Elections, DRS, said “DRS is delighted to have once again worked with Argyll and Bute Council, building on a relationship that has truly become a partnership arrangement. This use of technology has shown the long term commitment by both Returning Officers in Scotland and DRS to build the confidence and understanding of all stakeholders in the use of electronic counting and to demonstrate that it truly delivers.”