Ballot data for 2009 elections

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to request information about the 2009 elections of the
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH)
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I am only interested in
UCLH elections carried out using the Single Transferable Vote (STV)
and counted using computer software.

I made a similar request for 2008 data but unfortunately I was told
that the papers had been destroyed before my request was answered
so I was not given the ballot data.

Please can you provide me with the following information:

(1) the results sheet for each election carried out since 1 January
2009

(2) the full ballot data for each election carried out since
1 January 2009

The table should of course be provided in such a way as to ensure
it is not possible to identify who a vote belongs to or who voted
in the election. The ballot will remain secret.

I have previously provided the Trust with an example of what full
ballot data would look like:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/re...

I appreciate that you may on receiving this request have some
concerns about data protection. I therefore wish to explain further
why I believe the information should be disclosed.

(a) Glasgow City Council has already published on its website the
full ballot data in respect of the 2007 Local Government Elections
conducted using STV.

Link to a ZIP file:
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4...

This suggests that disclosure of ballot data is felt to be legal by
the City Council.

(b) It will not be possible to identify who a vote belongs to or
who voted in the election so the information should not be regarded
as containing the personal data of individual voters.

(c) Although the ballot data I have requested will contain
information about people's views of individual election candidates
this is not a reason not to disclose as a results sheet would also
contain information about people's views of individual candidates
and the Trust has released these previously.

(d) there is a strong public interest in favour of disclosure as
the data can be used as evidence that the count was correct and to
see a full picture of the votes cast.

If any of the data requested is held by a third party (e.g. a
ballot service provider) please be aware that for the purposes of
the Act, "information is held by a public authority if— ...it is
held by another person on behalf of the authority" [Section 3(2)]

If you have any queries then please contact me.

Yours faithfully,

John Cross

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please could you send me the full ballot data (as defined in
previous correspondence) for the public constituency.

I believe the election was counted electronically so the ballot
data will be stored on a computer in a single file or database. It
should be possible to retrieve the data in no more than a couple of
hours.

The file may be stored on a third party system but it will be held
on behalf of the Trust an therefore accessible under FOI.

Yours faithfully,

John Cross

Annie Lindsay
I am interested in the public constituency.

thank you

John Cross

Dear Sir or Madam,
Please could you set out a timetable for providing the information
I have requested.

Thank you,

John Cross

Dear Sirs,

Please could you set out a timetable for providing the information
I have requested.

Thank you,

John Cross

Dear Annie Lindsay,
Thank you for your email.

kind regards,

John Cross