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.
