How the votes are counted

[PumpkinPies38]

Please can someone clarify this for me- as this is a referendum it's not done in constituencies or winning areas is it? Each individual vote is counted and the entire totals are added up?

There was an article today in the FT saying "when we see who has won London" etc etc which made it seem like it was being done in areas like a general election.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

There are 300 or so counting centres. They aren't constituencies but they'll give an idea what regions have chosen. The final result will be all of the votes added up not a majority of counting centres.

[PumpkinPies38]

Thank you

[LunaLoveg00d]

Exactly - all of the votes from my Council area are counted centrally and a result will be announced for that Council area as both a percentage and the total number of votes cast. As the results come in from around the country, the picture of voting should become clearer.

It's also why if it's a fairly close vote, the result might have to wait until pretty late on. There will be a lot of chatting on BBC from Dimblebot, Jeremy Vine and the rest of them and they'll have fancy graphics to show you exactly how things are progressing and which side appears to be winning. First results not expected through until after midnight.

[biscuitkumquat]

Is it expected to be Sunderland first, as with General Elections?

[Grassgreendashhabi]

So is it after the voting stops. E.g after 10 or do they start with the ones they have?

[biscuitkumquat]

They don't start counting until the polls close Grassgreen

[RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime]

From the BBC