When you have a potential 4.7 million ballot papers to count across 32 councils in a single day you need an eCounting system that you can rely on. There is simply no room for error. This was the case for the Scottish Government, who needed to introduce a new eCounting system for the councils taking part in the local government election in May 2012.
The challenge
Scotland uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, which is considerably more complex than the first past the post way of voting – where the public votes for just one candidate. Instead, it is possible for the electorate to vote for every candidate standing – in order of preference.
Our answer
We won the contract to work with the Scottish Government with eCounting software partner Opt2vote. Although the overall project needs were defined by the tender requirements, user feedback was also essential from the 32 councils to determine the details – what would be the exact processes on the day, which reports were needed, even the requirement that was uncovered to change fonts to help visually impaired staff.
Why work with us
Ingenuity. Inventiveness. Innovation. These all key characteristics of Scotland and the Scots – and of our work in Scotland. Our offices in Aberdeen and Edinburgh act as hubs for ground-breaking projects such as smart metering, which is set to change the way we all use energy, and the world’s largest integrated transport smartcard scheme. Our 350 experts in Scotland are supported by over 69,000 colleagues worldwide focused on helping you find a better way of working.
