News / Police escort for ballot papers
TURN OUT for the general election seems to be significantly higher than in previous years, according to first indications from polling stations around Shetland.
Deputy returning officer for the Orkney and Shetland constituency, Jan Riise, said on Thursday afternoon that the islands’ 30 polling places “have been quite busy for a Westminster election”.
Polling stations remain open until 10pm on Thursday night.
Mr Riise added that in Shetland there had been 1851 requests for a postal vote of which he expected 85 per cent to be returned.
There are five candidates in the 2010 general election down from to eight in 2005, when just 54.5 per cent of the electorate of around 33,000 turned out.
The candidates, in alphabetical order, are Alistair Carmichael, LibDems; Mark Cooper, Labour; John Mowat, SNP; Frank Nairn, Conservatives; and Robert Smith, UKIP.
Ballot boxes from across Shetland will be taken by chartered flight from Sumburgh to Kirkwall and will be counted at the Pickaquoy sports centre. Mr Riise said he hoped the plane could leave Shetland at around 1.30am.
A final result for Orkney and Shetland is expected at between 4.30am and 5am on Friday morning.
Orkney Islands Council plans to make the final result available almost immediately after the official announcement on a special Facebook site, which can be accessed via www.orkney.gov.uk
Mr Riise said taking the total of 36 ballot boxes to Orkney was a logistical challenge in any case. Should the plane be grounded due to volcanic ash, fog or technical problems, a speedboat has been put on standby to take the ballot boxes to Orkney.
“The police have been very helpful in all this. They are taking the ballot boxes from Fetlar, Unst, Yell and Northmavine and will take them in a police van down the road as fast as they are allowed to Sumburgh airport.
“We are also delaying some of the scheduled ferry runs to wait for the last ballot boxes coming from the islands.
“Because of the flight disruptions we have experienced over the last weeks, we have built in a contingency plan, which means we have a speedboat on standby to take the boxes from Lerwick to Kirkwall.
“Should we have to use that option then the speedboat would hopefully leave the Lerwick marina at 1.30am.
“It will take between four and four and half hours for the boat to get to Kirkwall, which means that in those circumstances we will suspend the count in Orkney and resume at 9am to have, hopefully, a result by 11am on Friday,” he said.
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