Ballot boxes expected to fill up quickly

Voters will have to grapple with what is believed to be the largest ballot paper in British election history when they reach the polling stations today.

With no fewer than 26 candidates to vote for, the 70,100 ballot papers printed for the by-election have had to be specially designed.

Each one measures a hefty 35cm by 31cm, more than three times larger than normal ballot papers produced for elections.

An East Riding Council spokesman said: “We have held discussions with the Electoral Commission over the design of the ballot paper because of the unusually large number of candidates.

“Getting them all on one sheet of paper has been quite a job.”

Although pundits are predicting a much lower turnout than the 70.2 per cent figure recorded in the constituency at the last General Election in 2005, ballot boxes are still expected to fill up quickly because of the increased size of the voting forms.

Council officials are urging people to fold their papers carefully before dropping them into ballot boxes at the 65 polling stations across the constituency.

The polling stations are open until 10pm tonight, with people able to cast their votes in a variety of village halls, scout huts, schools and mobile units.

Even with a lower turnout, tonight's count at the Haltemprice Leisure Centre in Anlaby could also take some time to complete because of the larger than usual ballot papers.

The result is expected to be declared between 1am and 2am tomorrow morning.