Where staffs are categorised and assigned duties at different skill or responsibility levels within a voting station, separate manuals for these categories of staff may be justified, both to minimise the risk of confusion and to allow more detailed guidance for those staff in positions requiring superior literacy or skills.
Keeping the style of the manual and the checklist formats within them simple(see Checklists and Cue Cards), the more likely voting station officials are to refer to them to assist in swift and correct decision-making under the pressure of voting day.
Information Focus - Voting station officials’ manuals need to cover four basic areas of instructions:
• technical data on voting procedures;
• materials and personal security issues;
• maintenance of voter service and rights;
• staff rights, responsibilities, administration, and welfare issues.
Subject Matter - Specific issues voting station officials’ manuals include are:
• the voting station official's role, decisions within their responsibility, and when advice should be sought from more senior staff;
• payment, welfare, meal, accommodation, transport, insurance, and other entitlements;
• responsibilities under the election staff code of conduct
• responsibilities regarding training attendance and activity completion;
• pre-opening of voting station duties;
• materials to be issued to and maintained by staff;
• maintaining the security of voting materials while in and not in use;
• instructions for use of any equipment to be used by voting station officials;
• maintenance of voting station layout, cleanliness, and materials;
• information regarding handling of ballots (and any ballot envelopes used) and their relevant ballot box, and descriptions and instructions for use of electronic or other voting machines;
• voting station entrance and exit controls;
• persons authorised to be in voting stations;
• maintaining voter flow and controlling voter queues;
• providing information and assistance to voters;
• establishing identity of voters and required checks to prevent impersonation and multiple voting;
• use and correct marking of voters lists;
• treatment of persons not found to be on the voters lists;
• issue of ballots and control of computers or other voting machines;
• procedures for maintaining secrecy of voting within the voting station;
• treatment of spoilt, rejected, discarded, or cancelled ballots (or ballot envelopes, where these are accountable items);
• securing of ballot boxes;
• rights of voters within the voting station;
• rights and responsibilities of party and candidate representatives and independent observers in the voting station;
• common problems encountered in voting stations and standard responses;
• procedures for close of voting;
• procedures for reconciliation, packaging of materials, and their despatch or preparation for the count, following the close of voting;
• role of security forces;
• emergency, accident and adjourned voting procedures, and personal security measures.
Voting Station Managers: It may be prudent to provide managers of voting stations with a separate manual, since their responsibilities will also encompass additional or higher-level functions, for which additional guidance may be required. Additional duties to be covered in such manuals would often include:
• the management, training, and welfare of staff;
• establishment and maintenance of voting station layouts;
• management of complaints and challenges;
• overall materials security and accountability within the voting station;
• completion of voting records and voting station reports;
• liaison with voting operations administrators and other agencies;
• roles in staff and voting site selection.
Note: Where counting takes place at specific counting centers, rather than at voting stations, and is done by different staff, separate manuals for the count will be required. If counting takes place at voting stations, counting procedures may be better included with voting procedures in the one manual.
Officials for Special Voting Facilities Officials staffing special voting facilities will have some quite specific duties according to the nature of the special type of voting. Where there are considerable differences in their procedures and duties compared to officials in a normal voting station, to enhance clarity of instruction, it is preferable to produce separate manuals.
Mobile Voting Stations Officials on mobile voting stations particularly if operating for more than one day, will have specific additional functions in relation to logistics, materials security and reconciliations, and often voting procedures involving early or absentee voting
Voting Abroad - Where voting is conducted at voting stations in foreign countries , officials will have specific and different duties in regard to materials supply and return, and administration of mail voting or absentee voting.
Early Voting - Staff conducting early voting may whether by mail or in person, may also be subject to different voting procedures.
Local Referenda: In some circumstances, referenda held concurrently with elections may be restricted in voter eligibility to particular local areas or community groups.
In such cases, rather than include instructions for such a referenda within all voting station officials manuals, it may be more effective to produce a specific manual for use only in the voting stations affected.
