Materials and equipment for voting day are likely to be produced over a period of several weeks or even months.
Suitable storage facilities for such material and equipment awaiting packaging and/or dispatch to voting stations will be required. It is important that the premises used for storage are both accessible and secure. Security in particular is of the utmost importance as the builds the confidence of the electorate and political parties in the election process.
Security
Security levels for storage will need to be appropriate to the existing security risks. All liable voting materials, and especially ballot papers, need to be subject to strictly secure storage conditions.
Even in low-risk environments it is usually appropriate to have armed guards on stores containing printed ballots around the clock. The public perception that the ballot papers are strictly secure is necessary even if not needed in reality.
In very volatile situations it may be appropriate to use military or civilian police installations for storage of liable materials. The use of security forces however depends on the perceptions of impartiality of security forces.
Storage Environment
The storage facilities that are suitable for the equipment. For example if the ballot papers are in storage the facility needs to be suitably ventilated and damp proof. Material should be stored in an orderly and well organized manner to allow for easy and quick dispatch.
Local or Central Storage
Storage locations should aim to reduce redundant handling to the minimum. Where voting day supplies are being packaged centrally or regionally (see Packaging Materials and Equipment for Delivery), centralized or regional storage of materials is appropriate. Where supplies are packaged at the local level, it is generally more effective to maintain them in central or regional facilities until immediately before packaging commences.
In any case, it is cost-effective if storage facilities used are also the packaging centre and dispatch point for voting station materials.
It is important that reserve supplies be available at the local level for voting day. It may be possible to use electoral district managers' offices for this purpose. In rural or remote electoral districts of large geographic size, depots for emergency supplies may need to be established in key community centers.
Durable Equipment
Some equipment and materials, such as durable ballot boxes, voting screens, voting machines, and computer equipment, may be maintained in storage from election to election. It is important to implement regular inventories and testing of this equipment and material to ensure that it is in good condition and to effect repairs or replacements if it is not.
Computer equipment especially, will need to be stored in controlled conditions that are away from dust, heat, and humidity, if it is to remain in operable condition following long-term storage. Forms and other paper-based supplies kept in long-term storage will also need to be kept in facilities that are free from dust and humidity to maintain good condition.
Where durable ballot boxes and voting screens are to be supplied to voting stations in more remote locations, it may be more cost-effective to arrange for secure storage on-site. This may be possible if locations such as schools or government offices are used as continuing voting stations.
Ballot Paper and Printed Ballots
Printed ballots must always be stored under tight security. Where special paper is used for ballot printing, such as distinctively watermarked paper, secure storage should be maintained. Special papers can have long production lead times.
Especially in systems where elections are not at fixed intervals; there may be a need to maintain considerable reserve quantities of special ballot paper stock to ensure supply. It is important that the storage conditions for this paper stock are monitored to ensure the material remains in good condition.
