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"Save General Election Night!" says Jim

Today Jim has written to East Cambridgeshire District Council calling on them to reconsider their decision not to begin counting votes for the constituency in the upcoming General Election until the day after the election.

He commented, “It is a great pity that the Council is currently refusing to count on the night. The drama and excitement of Election Night is a crucial part of the way in which the electorate can engage with the political process and must be saved.”

Traditionally counting begins almost as soon as the polls close and continues through the night until the result can be announced, but the Returning Officer for the South East Cambridgeshire constituency has announced that counting in this year’s key General Election will not start until the next morning meaning that the result will not be known until the afternoon.

Jim, who will seek re-election to the South East Cambridgeshire seat, has written to the Chief Executive of East Cambridgeshire District Council to urge him to review this decision saying:

“The Speaker of the House of Commons has made it clear that he deprecates this change of practice as I do. The candidates are entitled to a result as soon as possible, but more importantly so is the country. This is not a matter simply about one constituency but about the Government of the United Kingdom. It the event of a close result nationally all individual constituencies’ results are very significant.”