Once the necessity for voting sites in particular areas has been established (see Demographic Analysis and Locations of Voting Sites), the following arrangements must be made:
• the actual buildings or other locations where voting is to take place must be identified;
• contractual arrangements for their use must be put in place;
• action must be taken to ensure that they are properly equipped. furnished, and supplied.
Identifying Suitable Premises
Arrangements for identifying suitable voting sites are better organised at the local level, through the electoral district manager or local election commission for the electoral district or administration area, rather than attempting to do this centrally. Local staff will usually have better ability to find potential facilities in their area.
Where there are permanent electoral management bodies with a local presence in place, periodic assessment of potential available voting locations/premises will assist in minimising workloads during the election period. It is important that contact is initiated with the representatives of state authorities responsible for or owners of potential premises at an early stage in the election period.
Site Inspections
Wherever possible, sites or premises to be used for voting should be inspected by experienced staff before any decision to use the location is made. If inspection is not possible, information on size, facilities available, and so forth should be gained from inquiry of the site or premises owners.
To aid in determining the suitability of specific premises or locations for use as voting stations, criteria should be developed with regard to the standard facilities that should be present at a voting location.
Standard Layouts
The development of standard layouts for voting stations will assist in maximising the following:
• consistency of service to voters;
• cost-effective resourcing;
• correct implementation of voting procedures.
Needs Assessments
It may not be possible to obtain the use of locations that fully meet the requirements of facilities standards and which have sufficient furniture and other equipment on hand to effect authorised layouts.
For each voting station, a needs assessment should be completed, identifying the additional equipment and other facilities that will be required.
Contractual Arrangements
The specification of actual voting locations should be a recorded process--for both operational and financial accountability reasons.
Buildings or locations to be used for voting should be covered by a formal contractual arrangement (whether there is payment involved or not) to ensure the site and facilities are available as required for voting
Decisions on suitable voting locations will need to consider the associated costs, both any leasing costs and any costs that will need to be incurred in upgrading the facilities present.
Voting Station Readiness
One of the most important tasks in the management of voting operations is to ensure that all voting stations are ready for operations on voting day.
Monitoring systems for tracking the state of readiness of each voting station and rectifying deficiencies are essential for effective management of voting day and for the integrity of voting.
Maps
It is essential for planning of logistics, and for public information campaigns, that maps be produced showing voting site locations. The detail required of these maps will vary according to the purpose for which they are being used
Voting Station Names/Identity Numbers
Each voting station must be given a unique identifying name or number, for use in:
• public information campaigns;
• crucially, for ensuring control of the despatch and return of ballot boxes and election materials;
• control of counts and results.
Where voting stations for different voting subdivisions or electoral districts share the same location, it is critical that they have separate identifying names and/or numbers. It would be usual for the election legal framework to require that the name or number allocated to each voting station be authorised by a designated senior member of the electoral management body, and officially published.
Last-minute changes to voting sites