by political editor Paul Francis

Voters in Kent could be kept waiting longer than normal to discover who their MP is when the next general election is held.

The traditional drama of staying up late for results could become a thing of the past as returning officers across the county weigh up whether to move to daytime counting on Friday.

If they do, it could hold up the national result as Kent’s marginal constituencies are viewed as critical in determining who will run the country.

The move to daytime counting follows a trend towards declaring local election results the day after polling, as happened with this year’s county council election results.

Two councils have already signalled they are likely to break with tradition and move to counts on Friday.

Swale council said it was "fairly likely" to move, particularly if the general election dovetailed with scheduled local elections.

Canterbury City Council also said it was expecting to switch. A spokesman said counters were less likely to be tired and make mistakes. "We are hoping for a Friday count," he said.

Several others - including Ashford and Shepway councils - contacted by the KM Group said they were keeping their options open and remained undecided.

The prospect of results being declared the day after polling has prompted a campaign aimed at keeping the tradition of overnight counts.

Opponents say it would end the traditional drama and excitement associated with the declaration of results and would be an insult to voters.

Political commentator Jonathan Isaby has launched a "Save General Election Night" Facebook campaign to keep overnight counting.

He said: "People want to know not only their own election results but what the outcome is nationally. In a county like Kent, you have a lot of marginal seats and unless all those seats count together on Thursday night you won’t actually get the national result until possibly late on Friday. These marginals are crucial seats and are where the national election will be won or lost."

Medway Council, which will oversee counting in three crucial Kent seats currently held by Labour, said it expected to stick with overnight counting. The returning officer there will have the job of declaring three of Kent’s most marginal constituencies.

A spokesman said: "We have always held them overnight and while we have not made a decision yet as we do not need to, our intention is for it to be on Thursday as it has always been."