Summary of the Process
To
facilitate the process of counting, ballots can be bundled by groups of fifty,
for example, to facilitate keeping a count of the votes counted. It is
desirable for every bundle of ballots to be counted at least twice, with one
officer checking the work of the other official.
For example,
depending on the number of political parties or candidates and also on the
number of counting officers, each counting officer can be responsible for
receiving and counting all ballots cast for one or more political parties or
candidates. Later the counting officers can exchange all ballots cast that they
are counting for ballots counted by another counting officer and verify each
other's totals. Verification of counting is
very important since those results will be added to the final results.
All ballots
are counted, including spoiled, rejected, and unused ballots. Even if not
counted as valid, these ballots are important for the audit trail and will be
needed in case of a recount.
To
eliminate possible objections over the validity of ballots, the counting
officer should be provided with clear rules of interpretation of accepted marks
on the ballot and all reasons that should lead to rejection of a ballot.
Minimising
the interpretation that is needed by the counting officer makes it easier for
him to make the necessary decisions and reduces disputes over the validity of
ballots.
If the
validity of a ballot is objected to or challenged, the counting officer should
be the only person able to make a decision, even if other counting workers are
involved in the counting process. To be more consistent in his/her decisions,
the counting officer can put all questionable ballots in one separate pile,
decide on all rejected ballots following the count of valid ones and then add
any additional valid votes to the appropriate candidate or political party.
Alternatively,
the ballots can be first separated, then, the counting officer decides on
questionable ballots, and then each pile can be counted.
Each
disputed ballot should be numbered on the back. The same number should be
written on the statement of the vote (or other form, as prescribed) for each
ballot box along with the decision made by the counting officer.
To
count the ballots, the counting officer often uses a count sheet. The
representatives of political parties and candidates and observers may have a
count sheet as well. The official count sheet is used by the counting officer
in charge of the count for a particular ballot box.
The
count sheet is a tool used to facilitate the count. For each vote for each candidate
or party, a mark is made on the count sheet. Periodically, the marks for each
political party or candidate are added together. Although
the count sheet used by the counting officer is the only official sheet.
Observers and party/candidate representatives should count along the counting
officer to prevent errors or to make observations about the counting in case
the results they have is different from the results the counting officer has.
If a
mistake is made during the process, comparison with the count sheets of other
counting workers can be made. If the mistake is still not found, the count
should be restarted from the last point of agreement.
A
verification of the count should be done once the ballots are counted. This
verification is usually the last one made. It is important to make sure that no
votes were changed during the count in favour or against one candidate or
party. It should include a comparison to the previous reconciliation (the one
done at the voting station and the one done once the ballot box was opened).
The
total number of ballots cast for each candidate or party plus the rejected
ballots, the unused ballots, and the spoiled ballots should match with the
total number of ballots received at the opening of the voting station. This information
should be duly noted on the ballot account form completed at the voting
station. If it doesn't, any discrepancies should be investigated by the
counting officer. Discrepancies may be a reflection of mistakes made at an
earlier stage.
Once
the counting process is over, the ballots are bundled and put back into the
ballot box along with all relevant forms. A copy of the statement of the vote
should be in a separate envelope, on the outside of the ballot box. Both the
envelope and the ballot box should be sealed before being transferred to the
planned location in the counting centre for the counted ballot boxes.
In the
event of a recount, all these documents are needed. This explains why elaborate
precautions about sealing the ballot box contents are important. For more
safety, the seal could even be signed by the counting officer and the party and
candidate representative. The counting officer should keep one official copy in
case of loss.
