Once the count is finished in each voting station, all the electoral materials (the ballot box with all the used, unused, rejected, spoiled ballots, the electoral list, unused seals, and other unused materials), as well as relevant forms needed (especially the statement of the vote, the count sheet, the voting record book) for the verification of results process. The material is transported to a secure local facility, which may be at the local office of the electoral management body.
Ability to check the interim count results received against separate documentation is essential to avoid mistakes, and prevent any fraud or manipulation of electoral results. A copy of the original statement of the votes of each voting station should be sent separately to the local office of the electoral management body, in a sealed envelope, and a comparison with first results received should be done, once the original is received.
If serious fears of fraud exist, a special paper can be used for the statement of the votes of each voting station. This dark coloured paper (dark blue for example) immediately indicates that the initial inscription is modified. The colour around the modified area will fade. A pencil should be used for this type of paper.
If modification marks appear on the paper, then special attention can be given to that specific voting station, and the results of the count. The voting record book should be checked carefully. If the counting officer made a mistake in completing the form at the voting station, then he/she should add his/her initials, or signature, as well as those of party and candidate representatives to denote agreement with the correction.
In most instances, a first verification of the electoral materials received, using a check list and an acknowledgement of receipt form, should be done by officials of the electoral management body to make sure that each ballot box and everything associated with the audit trail is delivered, and that forms are properly completed and signed.
The sealed envelopes (if applicable) containing the statement of the vote of each voting station are opened, in the presence of representatives of political parties and candidates, and the contents verified. In the event of a mistake, the counting officers are still available, so if a form is not signed or properly completed (wrong number of voting station for example), proper modification can be done immediately in the presence of representatives of political parties and candidates. If the discrepancies cannot be explained and corrected at this stage, the voting station’s results can be quarantined for further investigation by specially appointed audit teams. A more exhaustive quality control can take place in the following days, but it should be done as soon as possible, so that an audit trail of final results is carefully verified and completed.
A table chart, with the number of each ballot box (if any) is frequently created by the electoral management body, and used to verify that every ballot box that was issued to voting stations has been returned. Numbering the ballot boxes is a simple and effective way to keep track of them.
Clear problem-solving procedures must be established to track down any ballot boxes that are late in arriving, or are not delivered within a reasonable amount of time.
For each electoral district, the local office of the electoral management body produces a cumulative statement of the votes. This cumulative count usually includes information such as:
Once the statement of votes form and other verifications checks been completed satisfactory, the supervising officer will sign off on the results, which should be properly documented using a standardized form for this very purpose. Based on this verification, a detailed report can be prepared for the official results of each electoral district, recording each voting stations’ results.
