Political activists, including one of the Prime Minister’s aides, are trying to get a steer on the outcome of the first York and North Yorkshire Mayoral election as the counting of votes gets underway.
In the sports hall at Northallerton’s leisure centre, one of four count centres being used for the election, some 120 counters began verifying ballot papers shortly after 9am in a process that was expected to take at least two hours before the counting of votes could get underway.
After ballot boxes were opened, representatives and agents for the six candidates, some of whom had spent weeks posting leaflets through electors’ doors, looked on closely as the counters sorted the papers.
The result from each of the centres, also including Scarborough, York and Harrogate, is expected to be declared after 2pm.
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