When
ballots are sorted the counting officer must distinguish valid ballots from
counterfeits. Each ballot in the ballot box needs to be verified. In some jurisdictions,
security paper is often used for ballots.
This
paper contains a watermark or other form of unique identification (special
colour, lines, symbols, or logos) making the ballot virtually impossible to
counterfeit. The texture, thickness, colours, size, and format of the ballot
are also indicators that will differentiate a valid ballot from a counterfeit.
The
counting officer should know where to look on the ballot to be sure of its
authenticity. If he/she doesn't recognise the ballot or the ballot was not
issued at the voting station, it should not be included in the count and should
be put aside.
To
speed up the process of authenticating the ballots, certain jurisdictions
require that the voting station officer append their initials in a provided space
at the back of the ballot before handing it to the voter.
If the
initials at the back of the ballot are not from the voting station officer or
are missing, then it should be set aside and not counted as a valid ballot.
These initials should appear on the ballot account form, transportation form,
the seals, or voting record book. If no initials are on the back of the ballot,
the ballot should not be counted as valid.
This
measure of appending a voting station officer’s initial at the back of the
ballot can help to identify valid ballots from counterfeit ones, but the
official's initial should always be identical to protect the voter's secrecy of
the vote. The voting station officer should always use the same colour of pen
or pencil to append his/her initials.
In all
cases, all ballots are kept, even if they are not valid. No ballots should be
destroyed (at this stage of the process, see Challenging Results for more details on how long ballots should be kept) as an
audit trail of all ballots considered must be assembled so that the count can
be fully reconstructed.
If
there is any doubt, and before taking the decision to reject a ballot as
counterfeit, the counting officer should be able to verify the basis of his
decision with the supervisor of the counting centre and/or with the electoral
management body. Rejecting a ballot on the basis that it is counterfeit is an
important decision and should be done when there is certainty.
