The
following is a step-by-step account of vote counting procedures in Russia.
Repeated by-election of a Duma deputy in Monchegorsk District - December 3rd 2000. Polling station no 163 in Apatity.
This
polling station was shared and used as two polling stations in the same big
room. The room was divided in the middle. Most polling stations were schools,
culture houses or day cares.
Voter
turnout in this particular polling station was approximately 25% compared to
the regional average on 37%. It was common throughout the vote counting process
that more than one activity took place at the same time. For example the unused
ballot papers were counted at the same time as the number of signatures on the
voter register.
The
vote counting procedures at this election went generally very well and smooth.
We did not witness any major violations worth mentioning. This case study
represents a typical vote counting procedure from a local election in Russia.
The same electoral law is used all over the country with very minor changes.
The vote counting procedures at federal elections as well as local are very
similar.
As far
as the domestic observer could tell, as well as ourselves, we could not witness
any unusual circumstances during these procedures. The only unusual thing we
noticed was that at other polling stations, during other elections, visitors
were allowed to come in and out of the voting station during the process. However
this was not the case at this polling stations. The polling officials were very
experienced and seemed to know the full process by heart.
Present
at the polling station were:
• Seven
polling station officials including the chairman.
• One
police officer (responsible for both polling stations).
• One
local observer who was representing one of the candidates in the election.
• Two
international observers
The
process occurred as follows:
1. The
chairman announces that the voting has closed and pulls down the curtains as a
symbolic act.
2. Before
they started the counting, she asked her staff to remove all pens so that there
was no possibility to change numbers on the ballot account form or make marks
on the ballot papers. The unused ballot papers and the signatures on the voter
register were counted at the same time. Each polling station receives slightly less
ballot papers than the number of registered voters for that polling place, but
they can easily have more delivered during the day should they run out of
ballot papers.
3. When all the unused ballot papers were counted, the number was announced,
and the ballots were destroyed. Polling officers cut off a corner of each. During
this time the polling boots are taken apart by some of the polling officials to
save time since they are not all needed for that one task.
4. The signatures on the electoral roll are now counted. The registers are
put on a pile and sown together with thick thread and a needle with the
experienced sowing hand of an old woman. The pile is signed by the Chairman on
a smaller piece of paper put at the back of the pile.
5. The applications of voters that wished to vote from their homes were counted
and the number was announced.
6. The movable ballot box, which was used for these voters, was examined
and opened, and the ballot papers in it are taken out and counted.
7. Each ballot paper was held up and was the counting officer announced which
candidate received the vote. This was done for every ballot.
8. A big table was set up for the votes from the main ballot box. The votes
from the movable ballot box were on another table. According to local
regulations, this was actually not allowed because by that moment, all ballots
should have been mixed together on the big table.
9. The ballot box from this polling station was examined and opened. The
votes were put on the big table by turning the box upside down.
10. After we all had a chance to look in the box, the officer announced that
the ballot box was empty.
11. Before they started to count the votes, the polling officials asked the
chairman whether they should all stick to the same piles or if they should all
have seven piles each. The chairman decided that they should all have their own
piles.
12. Every polling official began to sort the ballot papers in piles by
candidates. That gave each polling official seven piles. Five for the five
different candidates, one for the votes "against all candidates", and
one for the invalid votes.
13. Only the polling officials were allowed to touch the votes. Observers were
allowed to stand very close, ask questions and take photos but not to touch the
votes.
14. While counting was going on, one of the officials was wrapping the
unused ballots, then destroyed them and put them in brown, thick paper and sealed
it with thick broad tape and stamped the package.
15. Every now and then during counting, the polling officials commented on
the votes with surprise. For example "There are not that many invalid
votes this time" or "Candidate X seems extremely popular".
16. When all the votes were counted (approximately 1300), all the piles for
the same candidate were put on a large pile.
17. Each invalid vote was proclaimed invalid and held up so that everyone
present at the polling place could see.
18. The chairman also mentioned the reason for
determining that vote invalid.
19. They repeated the process with the pile "against
all candidates".
- Each and every vote is held up and it is proclaimed that this is a vote
"against all candidates".
- All the invalid votes are now put in an envelope.
- The number of invalid votes that the envelope contains is written on it
and the envelope is stamped and signed by the chairman.
- The envelope is not sealed yet.
- Among the "against all candidates" the polling officials have
found yet another vote that they proclaim invalid.
- This vote is given to the official who is holding the envelope
containing all the invalid votes.
20. After
finishing that process, the chairman moved towards the piles of votes with
votes for candidates. The chairman started with one pile and held every vote
up, and proclaimed that it was a vote for candidate X. The chairman asked the
observers to feel free to stand right behind her when she was counting each
vote for the candidate so that they could see that it was a vote for that
candidate and so that the Chairman would not have to announce each vote loudly.
21. This
procedure was repeated for the other four candidates. In some occasions, the
counting of the different piles/candidates overlapped. Before any polling
official started counting a pile, he/she announced that these were votes for
candidate X etc.
The number of votes for the candidate that was counted first was
announced.
22. The
piles with votes were put in alphabetical order on the table, which is the same
way they are listed on the balance sheet and on the posters on the wall at the
polling station. They can be sorted in any way according to the law, not necessarily
in alphabetical order.
23. The
Chairman took the pile with the last candidate. It seemed that this candidate
received many more votes than any of the other candidates, and therefore, the
votes were divided up in piles of 50. Some polling officials were commenting
about the high number of votes this candidate had received. However, the
Chairman asked the official to stop commenting on such political things,
because they had to be neutral.
At that
point, a former polling officer came in to the polling station to say hello to
his old colleagues. The chairman told him that he could not be there as a
visitor, because he was not registered before the vote counting process
started. An interesting note is that at another local election in Tula, south
of Moscow, visitors were allowed to come and go as they wished.
24. One
of the ballot papers had a little signature on it made by the voter, but the
Chairman declared the ballot valid.
As soon as the number of votes for each
candidate was declared, the pile of votes for him/her was put in separate
envelopes/packages and the number was written on the package with the candidate’s
name. The package was signed by the Chairman and stamped like all other
packages.
25. One
of the polling officials had been sitting down all the time, writing down the
numbers that had been announced. Other polling officials were writing the same
numbers on the poster sized ballot account form on the wall. This ballot
account form also contained information about the polling station (address,
name, etc.) At the same time, some other material was being taken down and
packed, such as posters, scissors, chairs, etc.
26. The
polling official who filled in all the numbers was continuously checking the
regulations concerning adding votes, to make sure they were doing it correctly.
27. All the envelopes and packages were put in a larger brown box.
28. They wrapped the registers in thick brown paper and tape. The polling
officials were
discussing whether the voter
registers should be put in the same box. They decided to not
put them in the same box.
29. The large box is closed and brown tape wrapped around it.
30. The polling official that filled in all the numbers double-checked them
together
with another colleague. They agreed that everything
seemed correct after reviewing it.
31. The Chairman had a binder where she wrote down how many local and
international observers were present. If the observers would had wanted to have
a copy, she would have had to to write this down at another place to have
copies of the ballot account form. All polling officials have to
sign all the balance sheets that are distributed.
32. The poster size ballot form was filled in by the Chairman with
the last numbers after adding and subtracting votes. The Chairman read
all the numbers out loud. The numbers were read with double numbers. For example,
the number 2033 was read twenty, thirty-three.
33. The large box containing the votes was on the table all the time. The
voter registers were on top of the box with a binder with information of how
many observers there were present during vote counting, and other similar
information. The doors had been closed but not locked all the time. Only those
that were present at the polling station before closing and registered, were
allowed to be there, other people was not allowed in after the voting hours
have been proclaimed closed.
34. Every polling official had to sign each of the ballot account forms that
the observers wanted and the three official forms that go to the Election
Commission.
35. The Chairman then asked one of the polling officials to call the car.
36. Those observers that asked for a copy of the balance sheet had to sign a
list to confirm
that they received it.
37. The Chairman numbered the three official balance sheets with 1, 2 and 3.
38. The
Chairman never officially declared
the vote counting process finished but by filling in
all the balance sheets and signing them, the Chairman made it clear that
it was over.
39. The box containing votes and the voter registers were kept on a pile on
the large table. Some polling officials stayed and watched the pile while other
polling official went
off to fetch jackets and private
bags, etc.
40. A police officer arrived. The Chairman, the vice chairman and the
secretary of the
polling station went with him to the
car, which was parked outside the polling station. The policeman carried the
box with votes and the Chairman was carrying the voter registers and the
balance sheet. Some polling stations were not able to find a free police
officer that could assist, so they simply walked to the regional electoral
office.
41. The box and registers were placed in the car and all four went in the
car to the regional election commission where they were supposed to hand in
their box, the registers and the balance sheets.
42. Most transports were done in a police car, but some were done in private
or borrowed cars. Public services such as the police and other security forces
had to assist in the electoral process.
43. At the regional electoral office the polling officials from each polling
station were lined up outside. There was a security guard in the room and local
and international observers were allowed to be present. The police officer that
accompanied the polling official from this particular polling station left and was
on his way to the next polling stations.
44. When it was the turn of the polling officials from our polling station
the balance sheets were reviewed. This was the first step. If they were not
correctly filled, stamped, and signed, they would be sent back for correction.
In our case, all seemed correct and our Chairman was able to hand in the box
with votes and voter registers.
45. The box was carried away to a separate archive
room to be reviewed later.
46. The
balance sheets and other documents were taken to a computer room where all the
numbers were registered to the computer. After it had been completed, they
printed it out for the Chairman to sign.
