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| Voters out for 'super Thursday' | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Voting is under way for elections in England, Scotland and Wales for, in what has been dubbed "super Thursday". | |
| The Scottish Parliament and local councils, the Welsh assembly and most local authorities in England outside London are all up for grabs. | The Scottish Parliament and local councils, the Welsh assembly and most local authorities in England outside London are all up for grabs. |
| About 39 million people are entitled to vote, with warm weather forecast to boost turnout in many areas. | About 39 million people are entitled to vote, with warm weather forecast to boost turnout in many areas. |
| Polling stations are open until 2200 BST, but many voters have already cast their ballots by post. | Polling stations are open until 2200 BST, but many voters have already cast their ballots by post. |
| SCOTLAND - HOW THEY STAND Labour: 50SNP: 25Conservatives: 17Lib Dems: 17 Green: 7SSP: 4Solidarity: 2Senior Citizens Party: 1Independents: 5Presiding officer: 1 (ex SNP) In Depth: Elections 2007 Q&A: 2007 elections Send us your comments | SCOTLAND - HOW THEY STAND Labour: 50SNP: 25Conservatives: 17Lib Dems: 17 Green: 7SSP: 4Solidarity: 2Senior Citizens Party: 1Independents: 5Presiding officer: 1 (ex SNP) In Depth: Elections 2007 Q&A: 2007 elections Send us your comments |
| In Scotland, there are elections for 129 members of the Scottish Parliament. | In Scotland, there are elections for 129 members of the Scottish Parliament. |
| The elections use a mix of the "first past the post system" and a form of proportional representation. There are also elections in all of Scotland's local authorities. | The elections use a mix of the "first past the post system" and a form of proportional representation. There are also elections in all of Scotland's local authorities. |
| The first results in Scotland are due to start coming in at about 0030 BST on Friday. | The first results in Scotland are due to start coming in at about 0030 BST on Friday. |
| Wales is voting for 60 members of the assembly, again using "first past the post" and proportional representation. There are no council elections there. | Wales is voting for 60 members of the assembly, again using "first past the post" and proportional representation. There are no council elections there. |
| The counts are expected to take place overnight. | The counts are expected to take place overnight. |
| WALES - HOW THEY STAND Labour: 29Conservatives: 11 Plaid Cymru: 12Lib Dems: 6Others: 2 | WALES - HOW THEY STAND Labour: 29Conservatives: 11 Plaid Cymru: 12Lib Dems: 6Others: 2 |
| In England 32.8 million people will be able to vote - with seats being contested in 312 local authorities. In some councils one third of seats will be up for election, in others, the whole council will be elected. | In England 32.8 million people will be able to vote - with seats being contested in 312 local authorities. In some councils one third of seats will be up for election, in others, the whole council will be elected. |
| There are also mayoral elections in Bedford, Mansfield and Middlesbrough. | There are also mayoral elections in Bedford, Mansfield and Middlesbrough. |
| It is the biggest election in the local cycle in England, with about 10,500 council seats up for grabs. | It is the biggest election in the local cycle in England, with about 10,500 council seats up for grabs. |
| But more than half the counts in England have been delayed until Friday - rather than starting straight after polls close and counting into the early hours - because of a new postal voting system. | But more than half the counts in England have been delayed until Friday - rather than starting straight after polls close and counting into the early hours - because of a new postal voting system. |
| PARTIES DEFENDING SEATS IN ENGLISH LOCAL ELECTIONS Conservative: 4404Labour: 2379Lib Dem: 2419Others: 1277 of which: Green: 45BNP: 9UKIP: 6IKHH: 3Respect: 4Mebyon Kernow: 6Source: BBC Research | PARTIES DEFENDING SEATS IN ENGLISH LOCAL ELECTIONS Conservative: 4404Labour: 2379Lib Dem: 2419Others: 1277 of which: Green: 45BNP: 9UKIP: 6IKHH: 3Respect: 4Mebyon Kernow: 6Source: BBC Research |
| Election officers must double check at least 20% (but preferably 100%) of signatures accompanying ballot papers with those on the original applications for a postal vote. | Election officers must double check at least 20% (but preferably 100%) of signatures accompanying ballot papers with those on the original applications for a postal vote. |
| It means a clear picture of the results will be unlikely to be available before Friday afternoon. | It means a clear picture of the results will be unlikely to be available before Friday afternoon. |
| There are also 12 pilot areas in which electronic voting is being tried out. | There are also 12 pilot areas in which electronic voting is being tried out. |