The transparency of the count, and the public announcement of results are some of the most important tasks of an EMB. The election result is the news the whole country – and sometimes the world – has been waiting for, and is sometimes marked by clamouring and conflicting news coverage.
Depending on the circumstances and specific procedures of an election, the count period might be a matter of hours to a matter of days, or even weeks. The length of this period greatly affects the nature and size of a Media Relations Department’s task.
In cases where the count is only a matter of hours, or at the most a day, an EMB Media Relations Department is likely to release continual updates on the count’s progress until finally announcing the final and official results. During this time, media will usually be present at counting centres, results centres, or both. Depending on the regulations on media reporting during the count, there might be a media coverage silence or it may be buzzing with activity such as speculated results, opinion polls, results from exit polls and so forth. For more information on reporting of exit polls and opinion polls please refer to Reporting on Opinion Polls.
On the other hand, the counting period might take a number of days or even weeks before official results can be announced. In other cases, preliminary results might be announced, after which there is a period for an election complaints process to conclude before official results are announced. This process can take months such as during the Afghan presidential, parliamentary and provincial council elections in 2009 and 2010. The role of EMB media relations during drawn out count periods is likely to be more challenging than during short counts. This is because of the sensitivities and suspicions that tend to be born out of protracted processes. This is one particular time when it is advantageous for EMB media relations staff to remain alert to media trends, and fully informed of all count operations. This will also be a period of time when transparency is absolutely critical to the legitimacy of the election.
There is much that can be done on the part of an EMB to promote accurate and professional results reporting. What is particularly important when results emerge gradually is that all results are reported promptly and accurately. This facilitates public scrutiny of the counting process and lessens the possibility of manipulation of the count.
Chain of command is also paramount when results are reported. All EMB staff and commissioners need to know who is in charge of announcing results, when and where they will be announced. In Papua New Guinea in 2012, accusations were made that Voting Centre staff were asking for bribes from journalists to provide information on election results.[i] These practices must be avoided and sanctioned by an EMB.
The provision of a Media Centre will enormously facilitate media access to results, especially if the counting process is centralized. The facilities and procedures in decentralized count centres will also greatly determine the degree to which media are able to report accurate figures.
There may be simultaneous results-generating activities that the media will be engaged in. These include exit polls, unofficial quick counts and opinion polls. It is important that an EMB Media Relations Department is aware of what these are, which ones are going on, and how they may impact the overall public debate.
All in all, the count period is an extremely busy one; an EMB Media Relations Department is likely to have “all hands on deck” with staff members working around the clock to ensure media are provided accurate and timely information.
