Once the polls have opened, the role of the media changes from what it was during the campaign period - and specific rules may be devised to govern this shift. In practice, the shift may have taken place earlier, with a blackout placed on political campaign reporting, opinion poll reporting, direct access broadcasts, or advertisements - or all of these. There are, of course, a variety of factors that may influence the vote as it progresses. Voter turnout is an important issue, since high or low turnouts are generally reckoned to favour one party or another. Reporting turnout may sometimes also be the subject of some restriction.

 

Commonly, an EMB will hold several press conferences on Voting Day, at the opening of polling, the close of polling, and at other times depending on the need. There may, for example, be incidents that need to be responded to publicly, such as violence at polling booths, logistical problems such as flooding, integrity issues such as accusations of fraud. To maintain its reputation, and to prevent escalation of problems, it is important that an EMB responds to these issues as quickly as possible to reassure the public about measures being taken. It might also be issuing statements from EMB officials aimed at encouraging people to vote, and confidence in the process. A Media Relations Department might post regular updates on the EMB website to give up-to-the-minute information on the progress of the polls. A Media Centre at an EMB might be hosting elections reporters as a hub for reporting on Voting Day.

Media Relations staff might also be actively engaged in ensuring that the media clearly understand their rights of access to the voting process and are complying with these guidelines.  They will do this through consistent communication with voting centres around the country, as well as with media.  They might also have as many staff as possible, rotating through voting centres.  This serves a dual purpose: to monitor whether media are respecting regulations, as well as to provide media an opportunity for interviews with an EMB staff member if EMB regulations do not allow voting staff to talk to media.