Spoiled,
rejected, and unused ballots must be counted to create a complete audit trail.
Spoiled and unused ballots are supposed to be counted at the voting station,
before the ballot box is transported to the counting centre.
These
ballots remain official documents even if not counted as valid. Additionally,
rejected ballots are essential in case of a recount.
Rules of Interpretation for Rejected Ballots
This is
one of the most challenging aspects of vote counting, as each counting officer
brings his/her subjective decision making abilities to the task, irrespective
of how effective their training was.
In an
attempt to eliminate possible objections to the validity of a ballot, the
counting officer should be provided with clear rules of interpretation and
given illustrations of acceptable and unacceptable marks on the ballot,
including the rationale for any rejection of a ballot.
Minimizing
the interpretation that is needed by the counting officer makes it easier for
him/her to take the necessary decisions and will reduce disputes over the
validity of ballots. In the event of a close margin in favour of one candidate
or party, a recount is likely to be asked for and rejected ballots will be
carefully analysed.
Handling Disputes Regarding Rejections
In
several jurisdictions, the counting officer is the only person qualified to
make the final decision on the validity of a ballot. He is also the person
handling disputes regarding objections.
If a
representative of a candidate or political party doesn't agree with the
counting official on the validity of a ballot, he may object to the decision.
In most cases, the counting officer has to immediately make a decision on
whether or not the ballot is valid. To be more consistent in his/her decisions,
the counting officer may put all questionable and contested ballots in a
separate pile while counting valid ballots.
He/she
can then decide which of the potential rejected ballots will actually be
rejected, and count the total number of rejections. Remaining valid ballots
then be added to the count for each political party or candidate.
Alternatively,
all potential rejected ballots can be pre-identified, decided on, and counted
first, and then valid ballots can be counted subsequently.
For
each objected ballot, the ballot will be numbered on the back. The same number
will be written on the statement of the vote (the voting record book or a
separate form can also be used) for each ballot box along with the decision
made by the counting officer.
All
rejected and spoiled ballots are counted and recorded in the statement of the
votes for each ballot box as well as on the ballot account form.
