Voting facilities for security forces-armed forces and police--may be included in the planning of voting operations.
Voting Facilities for Armed Forces Bases
Placing voting sites within armed forces bases should preferably be avoided. Such locations may be intimidating to voting station staff, and there may be difficulties with all political participants being free to monitor voting processes, or provide party and candidate information near the voting site. This can be of particular concern where there has been any perceived history of political partisanship by armed forces.
If voting locations are within armed forces bases it may also be easier for junior armed forces members to feel pressured into voting in a particular way, through the presence of commanding or senior staff in the vicinity. For similar reasons, where there is organized transport for troop units to voting stations, officers and other senior ranks should not be in the voting station supervising troops while they are voting. Such potential intimidation may be a particular concern in countries with conscripted forces.
In voting stations near large military bases, the arrival of troops to vote may need to be organized to prevent undue pressure on voting station facilities. Troops are more likely to arrive in organized transport to vote than individually. Pre-voting day liaison between local voting operations administrators, senior polling officials and armed forces commanders will assist in smoothing the flow of troops to voting stations.
When armed forces members are in voting stations for the purpose of voting, they should be prevented from carrying their weapons with them. Some force members may remain outside the station with their arms, while other force members go into the voting station unarmed to cast their vote.
Security and Emergency Forces on Duty on Voting Day
Equity is not served if registered voters are denied the opportunity to vote because of their occupation. Where there are full scale armed forces, police and emergency forces mobilization on voting day, it would be prudent for the legislative framework to provide them with the opportunity to vote.
This would require provision of special voting facilities, since it is unlikely that many security force members will be stationed at the voting station in the electoral district where they may vote normally. Facilities for these voters could be provided by either of the following measures:
• early voting (by mail, or preferably for armed forces, in person, as armed forces mail voting could be subject to influence by officers or senior ranks);
• to allow security force members on duty to use absentee voting facilities at a voting station at or near where they are stationed on voting day.
Liaison between local voting operations administrators and security and emergency forces commanders on the requirements for any such special voting facilities is necessary for comprehensive voting operations planning.
