Sarah Norman, Managing Director of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, speaks to The Star's Chloe Aslett about what happens between polls closing and counts starting.
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00:00 So last night all the ballot boxes came in from the polling station.
00:04 So I think the last ballot boxes came in about 11 o'clock.
00:07 So that's quite a big logistical operation, receiving all the ballot boxes,
00:11 getting everything into the building, making sure it's all secure and in the right place.
00:15 And then the other thing that we do last night is to verify all the postal votes that have come in at the last minute.
00:22 So that's postal votes that have come either from the post office, from the sweep they do of post boxes on the day,
00:28 and also postal votes that people have taken into polling stations.
00:31 So that's what took us till about one o'clock in the morning.
00:34 And then, so were you in here bright and early this morning as well to just keep it?
00:39 Yes, I was here about 10 to 8 this morning.
00:42 So yes, not that much sleep, but the adrenaline of elections keeps me going.
00:46 And how is the sort of the atmosphere I suppose down there?
00:49 All seems very calm, very positive.
00:52 All the staff have turned up, everyone seems to know what they're doing.
00:55 So I'm confident that we'll have a nice smooth count today.