No matter what checks may have been instituted on receipt of material at the voting station, a final check should be conducted prior to the commencement of voting to ensure that all material required is present.
If a voting station is set up prior to voting day, it may be possible to lay out some material in its appropriate positions--excluding ballots, certified voters lists, and other highly accountable material--before the morning of voting day. Prior to the opening of the voting station, ballots, ballot envelopes (where used), and voters lists should be distributed to the relevant tables.
Ballot Accounting
Strict accounting controls must be implemented on ballots (or ballot envelopes) received at the voting station. For the accuracy of ballot (or ballot envelope) reconciliations after the close of voting , it is vital that all ballots received at the voting station are individually check counted, to ensure that the number actually supplied is recorded:
• Even where ballots are supplied in booklets, with numbered stubs, errors can occur during production of the booklets.
• Where more than one person is issuing ballots or ballot envelopes, or not all ballots/envelopes are allocated to the ballot issuing area prior to commencement of voting, strict accounting records must be kept by the voting station manager of the quantities and times of allocation of ballots/envelopes to specific issuing staff.
• Whether done as a single allocation prior to voting, or by multiple allocations during voting hours, each allocation for ballots/envelopes should be check counted by the staff member to whom it is allocated. Particularly where a multiple allocation method is used, these staff should also maintain records of ballots/envelopes issued to them for use.
Materials Checks
Pre-voting materials checks required would include that:
• all ballot or ballot envelope issuing officers have received and counted their ballot or ballot envelope allocations and have been issued with all other necessary equipment (such as official marks with which to stamp ballots or envelopes, where these are used);
• figures for ballots (or if applicable ballot envelopes) on hand for the commencement of voting have been entered in ballot reconciliation records;
• all forms and other envelopes required for voting are available and appropriately distributed to staff tables in the voting station;
• voter information materials are in place for distribution to voters;
• voters lists are distributed to the appropriate staff and given a final check to ensure they contain a complete set of pages and are ready for use;
• any ballots, ballot envelopes, or ballot material such as seals kept in reserve are in a secure container in a location that can be constantly supervised;
• if ballots are to be manually marked, a pen or pencil is firmly attached in each voting compartment;
• general stationery supplies (e.g., pens, pencils, note paper) are distributed to all staff.
