To count the ballots, the counting official can use a count sheet. The representatives of political parties, candidates, options and everybody observing the count may have a count sheet as well. The official one is the one used by the counting official.
The proper information regarding the ballot box number and the constituency should be written in at the top or bottom of the form. In each column, the names of each candidate (or party or option) as they appear on the ballot should be written.
There are two usual types of count sheet: one where each square represents a vote for a candidate/party/option and one where square is drawn with a diagonal mark denoting five votes (see Tally sheet Togo - Guinea and Tally sheet - Canada). For the first one, each square may be marked for each vote for a candidate/party/option. At the end, the total for each will be easy to count. For the second, four vertical marks and one diagonal one are made. Each completed square equals five votes for a candidate/party/option.
With regard to recovery from errors, where several count sheets are used at once, there is a need to recover when the results of the count no longer agree. Establishing correlation between count sheets requires a pause for consensus as to how many votes are recorded per candidate at certain set times (every 100 ballots for example). Restarting the count at the last point of correlation is much more efficient than beginning the entire count.
