In some jurisdictions, for reasons outlined in Different Types and
Requirements for Vote Counting, votes are initially counted at voting
stations; in some cases they are subsequently recounted at counting centres.
There are cases, however, where no counting is done at voting stations, but
ballots are transported directly to centralised counting centres after the
close of voting.
In a
counting centre approach, where ballots from two or more voting stations are
mixed together, with results published by counting centre instead of by voting
station, it is more difficult to link communities with affiliation. This may
help to protect the secrecy of the voting pattern, especially in some small
communities (normally the ballots are counted by voting station but the centre
approach will give the possibility to merge).
Even in
countries where the count is predominantly done at voting stations, one or more
counting centres can ease administration for certain types of ballots. This
includes absentee votes, mail votes from armed forces, diplomatic missions,
refugees, incarcerated persons or persons residing outside their electoral
district which may come from various voting stations, local or abroad, or
directly from the voters (by mail).
Such
ballots can be forwarded to the appropriate counting centre and added to the
ballots from applicable elections, making counting easier to organise and
easier to protect the secrecy of such absentee votes.
There
may be many counting centres or there may be only one national counting centre.
The limit to the level of centralisation will be the level at which votes are
translated into a number of legislators or seats. In a First Past the Post
(FPTP) system the counting centre may be at the electoral district level (at a
town hall, for example) but not at the national level.
In a
proportional representation system based on regional lists, a counting centre
may not be more centralised than the region that the list is based on.
Vote Counting at the Counting Centre
At the
close of voting, voting station officers seal the ballot boxes and prepare them
to be transported to a counting centre along with related documents such as the
ballot account form.
Each
ballot box is then sorted and tallied. The content of the ballot box can be
counted separately or mixed with two or more boxes together, after
reconciliation, to protect the identity of voters.
The
statement of the vote for each counting centre is sent to a regional or
national counting centre. Representatives of political parties and observers
are allowed to receive an official copy of the results.
Releasing
interim results is generally much slower when ballots are counted at counting
centres. There are several reasons for this, including:
- the counting process can sometimes only start once all
ballot boxes arrive at the centre;
- more personnel are involved in the process (required for
the reception; storage and dispatch of ballot boxes);
- counting may be delayed if several days are required to
receive and count all ballots;
- more elaborate procedures need to be followed (due to
volumes of materials and personnel);
- more control mechanisms must be introduced (access to
storage, contoled movement of election material between intake, counting areas,
storage and quaratine; controlling access to location by observers, candidates,
party representatives, and media).
The logistical complexities of moving ballot boxes and
related materials to the counting centre can be an obstacle if transportation
is difficult, not readily available, or due to adverse weather conditions.
Systems are required to receive and store the ballot
boxes efficiently while the need to transport the ballot boxes may make it
difficult to maintain transparency and retain confidence in the counting and
aggregation systems and the election body concerned.
Resulting delays in the announcement of the results
can lead to accusations of manipulation or fraud during the delivery of boxes
or the consolidation of the results of the count.
To ensure the success of the counting process, there
are administrative considerations and training requirements related to vote
counting at counting centres, which need to be addressed early in the electoral
process and once decided, they must be respected.
Each
of these procedural components has particularities and subtleties associated
with their respective processes.
Procedures for counting at counting centres
At the closing of the voting station authorised
persons and counting officers stay in the voting station and prepare the ballot
box for transportation from the voting station to the counting centre.
The slot
of the ballot box is closed and sealed and the first reconciliation of ballots
is done before completing the ballot account form. The seals on the ballot box
are then verified along with all forms in sealed envelopes attached to the
ballot box. The waybill or transport form is completed according to the type of
transportation used.
Important
security measures need to be taken to ensure that the ballot boxes will arrive
safely at the counting centre. Once at the counting centre, unloading of ballot
boxes should be carefully planned and supervised and movement of all ballot
boxes should be tightly controlled.
All
forms related to transportation and movement of the ballot boxes will be
completed and verified so that any ballot boxes that are missing can be traced.
Upon
arrival at the counting centre, the ballot box is checked by an appointed
electoral official responsible for the intake of materials from voting
stations. Once the officer has reviewed the handover form, documented and
verified that seals are intact, the polling station will be flagged as received
and cleared for processing. The material is sent to a planned location in the
counting centre for ballot boxes ready to be counted. From there, individual
ballot boxes are delivered to the appropriate counting table.
The
ballot box is opened and once the contents of the ballot box are emptied, the
validity of each ballot is verified and sorted into different piles before
being tallied: valid ballots (by candidate or political party), and rejected
ballots. To facilitate the decision making process, clear rules of
interpretation or guidelines regarding the basis for rejecting a ballot should
be provided to the counting official, and known in advance.
Representatives
of political parties and candidates should be able to examine the rejected
ballots and, if they do not agree with the decision of the counting official,
be allowed to make formal objections which can form the basis for challenging the
results of the count.
Using a
count sheet, all valid ballots, spoiled ballots, and rejected ballots are
counted - none should be destroyed at this stage of the process.
A
verification of the count and a last reconciliation should be done before
completing the statement of the vote for each ballot box. The ballot box can
then be re-sealed and appropriate counting documentation can be completed and
either be enclosed or attached to the ballot box in a separate sealed envelope.
The
ballot box is then transferred to a pre-planned location in the counting centre
where counted ballot boxes are securely stored. Once there, the person in
charge will verify, count, and label each ballot box creating the cumulative
audit trail for the counting centre. All the ballot boxes are safely kept at
the counting centre until further notice from the electoral management body.
The
results recorded on the statement of the vote for each ballot box will be
communicated to the person responsible for combining results for the counting
centre. While preparing the cumulative statement of the vote for the entire
counting centre, progress reports will also be prepared and sent to the central office of the electoral management body
as results for electoral districts are available. Results will be transmitted
directly to the national electoral management body so they can be released as
they come in.
Representatives
of political parties and candidates and observers, if present, should be
allowed official copies of the progress reports, the statement of the vote for
each ballot box, and the cumulative statement of the votes.
The
national office of the electoral management body adds the results transmitted
as well as results of special ballots, advance votes, mobile voting station
votes, etc. All results should be tallied per political party or candidate and
publicised as soon as possible. If results are challenged, additional
procedures may apply. The EMB should
maintain citizens informed of challenged results/processes, and educate them so
voters understand what the implications are and which is the process to be
followed.
Effective training for counting officers
To be able to implement such procedures regarding vote
counting at counting centres, it is essential that appropriate training be
conducted. Training requirements, as well as all other administrative
considerations (see Context)
will need to be forecast in the budget for the election or referendum.
During the
training and managing a counting centre it is important to emphasise
non-partisanship in the conduct of the work.
Numerous
jurisdictions require that all counting workers sign an oath and a
confidentiality clause to make this point clear, documented, and understood by
all personnel involved. Counting workers should not make any remarks or mention
any personal political affiliation or affinity, nor wear any badge or clothing
with political slogans or logos.
Since
the counting officer at each table will have to handle disputes over any
rejected ballots, he will be the first person to deal with representatives of
political parties and candidates.
This
person (if applicable according to the legislation) will also have to make the
final decision in validating or rejecting any ballot. Neutrality and
non-partisanship are imperative in this decision-making process.
In many
jurisdictions, counting officers can be legally prosecuted if their work is
proven to be partisan during the counting process.
Presence of party
and candidate representatives at counting centres
To
ensure that the level playing field concept is adhered to, it is recommended
that all political parties and candidates designate a representative to be
present in each counting centre and assign these representatives to scrutinise
the counting process. It remains the choice of each party as to whether they
send a representative to every counting table or not.
Many
jurisdictions consider the presence of political party representatives to be
essential to ensure integrity, guarantee consistency, and provide witnesses to
the transparency of the process.
When
the time comes to make an important decision during the counting process, such
as modifications to previously completed forms, then all party representatives
involved should sign the forms to demonstrate that they are informed and agree
with the decision. It is recommended that official copies of such documents are
shared with party representatives and observers present, as well as be posted
at a pre-determined location at the counting centre.
Careful
application of such procedures provides tangible evidence that the rules are
consistent and the process transparent.
Record the History of Each Ballot Box
At the
counting centre, just as at the voting station, the election management body
should be able to retrace the history of each ballot box from the moment it
leaves the local office of the electoral management body until it returns with
the counted ballots (especially important when the ballot papers of two ballot
boxes or more are mixed together).
An
adequate audit trail will allow the electoral management body to maintain full
control and ensure that possibilities of fraud via ballot box tampering are
extremely limited and can be detected if attempted. Numbering each ballot box
is a simple method of implementing such a control system, which could be traced
by barcoding the ballot boxes and use barcode readers to record sending and
receipt of boxes. Ballot boxes should also be sealed with uniquely numbered
security seals that are noted on the hand-over form, thereby ensuring no
tampering while in transit. The handover form is also an important component in
the chain of custody for a ballot box.
The
same number should appear, as well, on each form used at the voting station and
at the counting centre. The importance of recording the history of each ballot
box may be used as evidence in cases of judicial recount.
Summary of counting
processes at counting centres
In
general, the major process components of vote counting at counting centres are
the following:
- preparation of the ballot boxes before transportation
from the voting station to the counting centre;
- transportation of the ballot boxes to the counting
centre;
- provision of party, candidate, or observer accompaniment
of the ballot boxes;
- reception and regulation of the ballot boxes at the
counting centre;
- opening the ballot box;
- reconciling ballots in each box with number of voters;
- sorting and counting the ballots so the results can be
transmitted to the next level of the electoral management body that compiles
them and further transmits until the results are publicised.
