Failure to implement control systems to ensure that each voting station is properly prepared to open for voting at the appointed time can lead not only to poor service of voters but potential failure of the election.
It is vital that electoral management body workplans for the election period include review points where voting site preparedness must be assessed to enable speedy rectification of any deficiencies.
While the exact timing of most of these review points will depend on the time frames in the specific election's calendar, there are standard issues that need to be addressed.
In the last week before voting day, especially, daily monitoring of the state of readiness of voting stations is essential.
This encompasses not only assurances regarding the sites themselves, but that all supplies and personnel are in place for transport to the required locations and that all material dispatched has arrived at its intended destination. These checks are generally better distributed down the election chain of command than all undertaken from a central level.
Use Of Checklists
Use of checklists for these reviews is to be encouraged.
At the electoral district level these could be either separate for each voting station or a combined master inventory of voting station readiness. At the central level, the overall state of readiness on each electoral management district should be similarly tracked.
Initial General Review
First level readiness reviews could take place around four weeks before voting day, depending on the election timetable. At this point, electoral district managers should be able to assure the executive of the central electoral management body that:
• all required voting locations have been officially approved and any legal requirements for their appointment for voting satisfied;
• satisfactory agreements for use of all required voting locations and count centres have been signed;
• layouts for each voting location have been approved;
• needs assessments have been conducted for each voting location and the required equipment and materials, logistics/transport arrangements, site facilities improvements have been identified, recorded, and arrangements for supply, either from the electoral management body or outside suppliers, implemented according to prescribed procedures;
• staffing numbers for each voting and count location have been approved and staff recruited for all positions;
• training arrangements for all staff are in place.
Second General Review
While continuous monitoring of voting site preparations will be taking place throughout the ensuing weeks, a further major review point should be scheduled for around seven days before voting day.
At this point, assurances regarding the following voting site preparations should be provided to the central electoral management body:
• all required voting station staff have been contracted and have been trained (replacement staff assigned where necessary);
• any additional telecommunications facilities required for voting stations are in place, and that communication systems to all voting stations have been tested and work satisfactorily;
• arrangements for collection of keys and entry to voting station premises have been confirmed;
• contingency plans for materials, equipment, and staffing are ready to be activated if necessary;
• status reports on receipt of all materials required for supply to voting sites and action taken to redress any shortfalls;
• status report on packaging of materials and equipment for transport to voting sites;
• status report on any locally placed public information programs for publicising voting facilities, voting station locations, and hours of voting.
Distribution of Supplies
To ensure voting site readiness, all materials and equipment required for their operation should be distributed prior to voting day; to leave this until the morning when voting commences is to invite problems.
In low security risk situations, where materials are distributed to or collected by voting station managers, these must be checked by each manager on receipt and any omissions or shortfalls reported immediately.
Similarly, where materials are delivered directly to the voting station, voting station managers should arrange to be present at their voting station to receive and check correct delivery of all equipment and materials on the voting station's inventory. Any delivery discrepancies should be immediately reported to the electoral district's administration office. Checklists for these reports should be maintained by electoral district managers.
Set Up Before Voting Day
Voting readiness will be greatly enhanced if voting stations are set up by voting station managers (assisted if necessary by other voting station officials) on the day/night before voting commences, wherever the location is suitable for this (outdoor voting locations, for example, will generally not be possible to treat in this manner).
It is useful if, following set-up, each voting station manager reports to the electoral district manager that the voting station is set up and secured, ready for the commencement of voting the following day. Such reports can also serve as a final test of the communication systems to be used on voting day.
Following completion of set-up, and reporting of voting readiness, the voting station manager should ensure that lights are extinguished, any security alarms are activated, and that the area is locked before leaving.
Set-Up Checklist
A checklist should be completed by each voting station manager showing that all required actions for setting up the voting station have been completed. Relevant items to include on the checklist would be:
• lighting is satisfactory, and any additional lighting equipment requisitioned has been installed;
• communication systems--telephone, fax, radios, as relevant--are operational;
• all required areas of the voting station are accessible with the keys provided;
• the correct ballot boxes are present, remain unsealed, and are in the required positions;
• tables, chairs, and barriers have been arranged according to the approved layout;
• voting compartments have been installed, correctly positioned, and (where manual voting is used) have writing implements attached;
• all allocated communications equipment is in place;
• information posters and notices required inside the voting station have been displayed in the correct positions;
• material, including any instructional material or checklists for officials, has been sorted for use and allocated to the correct tables/areas of the voting station;
• if continuous security has been arranged, the security forces are in place according to plans;
• ballots, voters lists, and other accountable materials have been properly secured (in environments of low security risk, these could remain with the voting station manager and be brought in on voting day; in less secure environments, the voting station manager should report that these accountable materials are safely secured in whatever location had been previously arranged, for example, police, bank, or other institutional safes);
• any electronic equipment to be used for voting has been tested on site and is functioning correctly.
Morning of Voting Day
On the morning of voting day, before the scheduled time for commencement of voting, each voting station manager should report to the electoral district manager that the voting station is ready for voting. This information is vital to election managers.
The last problem they want on voting day is to be unaware of voting stations that are not going to be open on time or voting station managers who have suddenly discovered that they are missing vital materials.
Where voting stations have been set up and readiness reports have been provided the previous night, this may seem like a redundant requirement.
However, situations may change between set-up time and arrival the next morning. Where large numbers of voting stations are administered from one point, a schedule of reporting times will generally need to be drawn up; what is important is that a report is received before the time for commencement of voting from all voting stations.
Any problems at the voting stations--staff who have not reported for duty, materials or equipment problems not previously noticed, security issues or large crowds of voters already gathered to vote--should be quickly and clearly reported to allow early implementation of contingency plans
