Each jurisdiction will need to consider best practices that suit its particular circumstances and context, and ensure that the fundamentals of a vote counting process are maintained and that the integrity of the election is not compromised due to deficiencies in the vote counting.

Social and Political Context

The social and political context is important to consider when choosing an electoral system and vote counting process. For example, local political considerations will determine whether it is desirable to sacrifice some accuracy for speedy transmission of results, or whether security should be tight or less restrictive. One of the most important criteria is to ensure that the citizens, political parties and candidates understand the process and have faith in it.

Security

Security is an important factor in every election, but more so in a country emerging from civil strife. It is important to ensure that every stage in the electoral process, including the crucial vote count, is secure, transparent, and reliable.

If security or accuracy considerations permit, it may be desirable to hold the count as close to the citizens as possible, for example with a manual count at the voting station level in full view of voters, national and international electoral observers, and party and candidate representatives. If this is not possible, the count should be as transparent as circumstances allow.

Security provisions included in legislation and procedures should include security of the vote (and voter) and security of the process. If there is a possibility of repercussions to the voter for voting in a certain way, then the mixing of ballot boxes from different areas before counting should be seriously considered (see Procedures for Vote Counting at Counting Centres).

Security of the voting station may necessitate its guarding by the military and the police. Security of the ballot boxes, especially for those counted at counting centres, may warrant the use of armed convoys. Sensitive election materials should never be left solely in the care of the police or military, however, but should be accompanied at all times by an election official, political party and candidate representatives and national and international electoral observers.

Legislation should ensure that elections are not jeopardized, even if individual voting stations come under attack, or need to be closed for any reasons. Provisions should be made for the speedy rerunning of elections in those stations.

Literacy

Low literacy levels are important to factor into training and counting procedures. Where literacy is a problem, a simple electoral system will facilitate accuracy, but recount and rechecking procedures should be included in the process. Information and education material will need to be considerate of illiterate or semi-literate members of the public, to ensure that the electoral messages and information are conveyed to the largest number of members of the public.

Communication of Results

In an increasingly fast-paced world, election management bodies are feeling the pressure to deliver rapid (if not immediate) transmission of results. Technical innovations in electronic voting, counting, and transmission are facilitating speedy results. Speed, however, should be carefully balanced against other important considerations such as:

• Voter convenience and inclusiveness, for example citizens away from home or unable to visit a voting station (tendered votes, voting by mail, and other means that delay results),

• The infrastructure of the country,

• The importance of transparent (often manual; step-by-step) procedures,

• The dangers of a premature (incorrect) result.

• The complexity of certain electoral systems (such as the alternative vote, the single transferable vote), which in turn affect the speed of the count,

• The confirmation that voting was conducted correctly across the country, that is, the absence of challenges to the voting process that could affect the results.

Historical Review

Vote counting has progressed from a simple showing of hands, or standing in front of a chosen candidate, to secret paper ballots. Current trends in vote counting are towards secrecy, complexity (for reasons of accuracy and representation), electronic options, and rapid transmission of results.

The development in vote counting naturally follows voting procedures and techniques. Before the paper ballot, other means were used. In ancient Greece pieces of ceramic, ostraka, were used. Today, similar systems are still used in developing countries to indicate their choice of candidate. However, the paper ballot is most common, although technical means such as voting machines are provided for in some legislation. During recent decades, technical support for vote counting has made rapid progress.

The manual count remains the most common and widespread method of vote counting. However, depending on the general level of development, calculators or computers are used to calculate results, and computers are used for the distribution of seats. For a discussion of machine-assisted vote counting, see Application of Technology.

Administrative Considerations

Clear vote counting procedures, careful planning, thorough training, good facilities, and appropriate equipment are essential administrative considerations. As vote counting is the final step in the election process, it is often given a lower priority than it deserves. Considering its importance in ensuring confidence in the result of an election, it is critical to give vote counting high administrative priority to ensure success.

What is administratively expedient can vary greatly between countries. Here are some generic truisms regarding the administrative implications of choices in vote counting procedures:

• The simpler the system, the easier to organize and administer the vote counting.

• The greater the use of existing infrastructure, the simpler to administer at a lower cost.

• Permanence and continuity (of the counting process) between elections provides for a more routine and professional conduct of vote counting.

A complicated vote counting formula or system will have administrative implications in terms of increased training needs, additional personnel, longer hours, and additional venues for counting. Using of voting station staff for counting may be easier as it can simplify recruitment, training, and payment.

Infrastructure Requirements

Planning for vote counting procedures needs to take into account the infrastructure, including facilities for transporting essential items, security provisions and communicating results. Premises used for vote counting need to be secure and suitable for their purpose.

Plans should include the care and treatment of personnel, such as the provision of food and water, ablution facilities, as well as suitable lighting and temperature. This is especially important when the count is conducted by voting station officials who have worked hard all day managing and conducting the voting process, or when heavy volume calls for the count in a counting centre that will continue for many hours.

Personnel and Training Requirements

The effectiveness of any vote count process depends upon the counting staff. Recruitment of counting staff must ensure impartiality, professionalism and integrity, as the services that they will provide are essential to the overall perception of the elections.

Sufficient staff should be employed to efficiently complete the count, and every staff member should be appropriately trained. It is extremely important that the counting staff not be too tired when the count begins. If voting station staff conduct the count they will need rest breaks during the day. The counting staff's remuneration and training should be an important part of the election management body’s budget.

At the Management Level

At the management level, it is desirable to have a permanent electoral management body with sound skills. Professional, knowledgeable, experienced, and neutral staff will contribute to the success of an election and will provide benefits in all areas of electoral management, including vote counting and publicizing results.

Usually, the electoral management body will be responsible for developing training materials and procedures. They should use and build on the best examples of local and international experience. If possible, it is desirable to test the materials and procedures in pre-election small-scale activities (such as partial elections or simulations) before holding a national election or referendum.

At the Local Level

Usually, local electoral management staff are employed only when an electoral event is called. Some countries have permanent local election officials who have other duties, such as maintaining the register of voters.

Where local election officials and support staff are employed for each electoral event, it is desirable to recruit these staff well before the election or referendum is called, and provide them with comprehensive training on counting procedures and other aspects of the election or referendum. It may be appropriate to pay these staff for attending training sessions and related costs (such as travel, accommodation and food).

It is usual to provide local election officials and other senior management officials with a reference guide explaining all aspects of the administration of the electoral process. This could include procedures for opening and closing a local office; guidelines on hiring local staff, including job descriptions, minimal qualifications and desired skills; and the protocol for dealing with candidates and representatives of political parties.

Detailed procedures for vote counting and reporting results should be specified well in advance, so that proper preparations can be made. The importance of the final count, and the necessity of careful record-keeping in order to provide fully accurate official results, should be emphasized.

The level of responsibility given to local election officials will vary from place to place. Often, local election officials are responsible for recruiting and training the local staff needed for conducting the election. Ideally, these staff should be identified and recruited well in advance of the election. Other administrative staff may be needed to perform the many tasks associated with running an election, such as dealing with public inquiries, and ordering, storing, and distributing electoral materials.

Recruitment and training of all the voting station staff needed for election day (and for vote counting after election day, if necessary) should be done as soon as possible after the election is called. As a contingency measure, more voting station staff than are necessary should be selected and trained, to have surplus personnel available, in the event some workers cannot fulfil their duties on election day. A stand-by fee could be given to such substitute personnel if they are not required to work.

Recruitment Criteria

Men and women should be recruited on an equal basis, according to their ability to carry out the required duties in an unbiased and professional manner. Other criteria may include speaking at least one of the local languages and previous electoral experience. In a jurisdiction that is emerging from conflict, these requirements may not be appropriate and it may be expedient to have people from outside the area working as voting station and counting staff.

Some jurisdictions require that voting station staff be qualified voters and/or live within the same electoral district where they will be working on election day. These criteria should be publicized and known to all candidates and political parties involved, to preserve the transparency of the process.

The electoral laws may restrict who can be recruited as a voting station and/or counting staff. In some jurisdictions, voting station and/or counting staff are nominated by political parties in proportion to the number of votes or seats won at the previous election. The parties draw up lists and refer the names of acceptable personnel to the responsible local election official.

Workers who are nominated by a political party, but appointed by the local electoral management body, must agree to carry out all their duties in a neutral and non-partisan manner. Local customs and circumstances will decide the desirability of involving political parties in the appointment of election officials. Where a population is highly politicized, and most candidates for employment can be expected to hold a strong political allegiance, this practice may be desirable to ensure that there are checks and balances built into the process.

The voting station and/or counting official recommended by one political party can be watched by the voting station and/or counting official recommended by the opposing political party, and vice versa.

The voting station and/or counting officer generally understand the importance of being non-partisan, once they are appointed by the local electoral management body, especially if they have been required to take an oath assuring their neutrality. Where a population is less politicized, and sufficient employees can be found who do not have a strong political allegiance, it may be desirable to employ staff who can be expected to be neutral. In some countries, persons who are seen to be politically active are not permitted to work as voting station and/or counting officials.

Whether or not political parties become actively involved in the recruitment process of the voting station and/or counting staff, they should still appoint representatives of the political party/monitors/observers at the voting station, if provision for such is made by law. Accreditation provided in advance by the electoral management body is common practice.

People recruited as voting station and/or counting staff should be suitably qualified, able to attend training, and work long hours on election day. They should be literate, numerate, and able to communicate well verbally. In places where several languages are spoken, it is important to recruit staff with appropriate language skills. Senior students, civil servants, teachers, health workers, and retired people are often recruited because they satisfy these requirements.

Appointment of civil servants can raise questions about whether they are non-partisan, depending on the professional reputation and public perception of the public service, and whether positions are filled on merit or on the basis of partisanship. Even if well-qualified civil servants are recruited, they will still need training in counting procedures and other aspects of their duties in the electoral process.

Training Requirements

The level of training provided to voting station and/or counting staff will vary according to local conditions and the seniority of their position. Local election officials, electoral managers in charge of voting stations and counting centres, and other senior officers usually receive more detailed training than more junior officials.

Senior officials should be trained well before voting day. Ideally, junior officials should be trained before voting day, with a briefing session on voting day, before voting starts.

Where voting station officials conduct counting, training for the count will take place in conjunction with training for voting. The type of training will depend on the available budget and the ease with which staff can be given face-to-face training.

A typical training programme for senior officials will include face-to-face training conducted by a qualified instructor, audio-visual training aides (if available), training manuals, and simulation exercises.

In some cases, voting station staff will receive training manuals to read and sample exercises to complete at home before attending training. More junior officials can be trained in a similar manner, or trained by their supervisors after the supervisors have been appropriately trained.

Locations for face-to-face training should be carefully chosen and equipped. Suitable equipment will include chairs and tables, and, as appropriate, equipment such as white boards, black boards, or overhead projectors, and video and television where available. A microphone and speakers might be needed for larger groups. All the materials used on election day (such as ballot papers, ballot boxes, seals, forms, etc.) should be available and their uses demonstrated. The locations should be large enough to accommodate the officers being trained in comfort, and large enough to set up a simulated voting site.

Conducting a counting simulation is a very effective learning tool that helps to visualize the counting process, and pre-empt problems that may arise, by including examples of dubious ballots, and by practising filling in forms.

It is desirable to make attendance at training a mandatory condition of employment of voting station and/or counting staff. In order to encourage people to attend training, it is usual to pay them an appropriate allowance or fee.

In some countries, professional trainers will be used instead of the local election officials to conduct voting station and counting staff training sessions. Sometimes a small group of professional trainers will train other trainers, who will then go into the field to conduct the training directly to the voting station and counting staff on behalf of the electoral management body. Salary, travel, and accommodation expenses for such trainers will need to be included in the budget.