Ensuring an orderly flow of voters through the voting station promotes efficiency of voting services and enhances the maintenance of security in the voting station. Time spent waiting to vote is often the major factor that voters remember of their voting experience.
Having to endure a long or disorderly wait to vote can be a significant negative factor in voters' perceptions of the efficiency and integrity of the election:
• Long queues for voting are not necessarily the only problem. Slow moving queues, no matter what length, are also to be avoided.
• A large number of voters inside a voting station is not a problem, if the size of the voting station area is large and the control mechanisms are effective.
• A small number of voters milling around aimlessly in a voting station, with no clear idea of where they should go next, can cause delays and confusion.
• Where voters are accustomed to voting station procedures, speed of voter processing can be increased and voters' waiting time and requirements for crowd and queue control are diminished.
• The fewer voters that need individual attention from voting station officials for procedures to be explained, the more familiar vote styles are, and the greater efficiencies are both in staffing requirements and processing, the more speed can be attained.
Thus creating voting processes and procedures that are sustainable and stable in the longer term will considerably aid effectiveness in voter service.
Crowd Control Focus
There are four distinct areas and functions in the voting station that need to be considered in organising effective crowd control measures:
• queues of voters waiting to be checked for voter eligibility and issued with voting materials, which may extend outside the voting station itself and require assistance from security forces in external crowd control;
• the area between ballot materials issuing tables and the voting compartments;
• voters seeking information or assistance or being redirected within the voting station;
• control of voting station exits.
Factors That Will Aid Crowd and Queue Control
There are some crucial factors that need to be considered in providing an effective framework for crowd and queue control inside a voting station, including:
• the size of the voting station and the appropriateness of its staffing and facilities for the expected number of voters;
• the effectiveness of the voting station layout;
• allocation of staff to crowd control duties;
• control of entry to the voting station, including the use of restricted entry areas around the voting station;
• early identification of and facilities for voters who may be slower to process;
• use of clear signs, voting information posters, and crowd control barriers;
• making voting station officials and other authorised persons in the voting station clearly distinguishable, through use of badges, armbands, caps, or other distinctive apparel;
• use of more than one voter eligibility checking and accountable voting materials issuing table.
Attention to these issues can ensure effective management of large numbers of voters through a voting station in a single day.
Allocation of Staff to Crowd and Queue Control
Crowd and queue control duties should be assigned to specific voting station officials. This may not necessarily mean staff have this as a sole task--for example, in all but very large voting stations or high security risk situations, the staff member guarding ballot boxes may also be able to ensure that voters do not congregate around or attempt to re-enter through exits.
In all but the smallest voting stations, control of queues of voters waiting to vote would generally be assigned to a specific official. However, in enveloped ballot systems, where envelopes are issued on entry to the voting station, this entry control official could also undertake queue control functions.
In other systems, depending on the method of voter identity checking used, and where the issuing tables for accountable voting materials are located, queue control could also be combined with control of the voting station entrance. In very small voting stations, it could be undertaken by the voting station's manager or any voter information officer allocated.
Voting Station Staff Crowd and Queue Control Functions
In instituting effective crowd and queue control measures within the voting station, all voting station staff have a role, not just those assigned to voter queue control duties. This is not just a matter of control; effective handling of voters queued to vote would enhance service to voters.
Staff responsible for entry and/or voter queue control must ensure that:
• Queues are kept in orderly lines, and particularly that voters are not permitted to congregate around the issuing area for accountable voting materials;
• voters have identity or other required documents ready for eligibility checks;
• voters are directed to the voting materials issuing table (or the correct one, if more than one is operating) as soon as it is vacant;
• they have an active engagement with the voters waiting to vote, patrol the queues on a regular basis;
• monitoring the time spent by voters in queueseither on a regular, formal basis, through the use of time stamped cards presented to the voter on arrival at the voting station and also time stamped when the voter is issued with a ballot, or, less formally, through monitoring of a random sample of voters' progress by an official using a watch; service evaluation and improvements can be based on an objective foundation.
These officials can play a large role in enhancing the service to voters and the efficiency of voting materials issue through such activities as:
• escorting "priority" voters to the head of the queue;
• actively providing information on voting process requirements;
• actively attempting to identify any problems with regard to eligibility or voting processes that voters may have and attempting to have these resolved before the voter reaches the ballot issue table;
• identifying voters with language difficulties, or who may require assistance in voting, and arranging for assistance for these voters.
Issuing of Voting Materials
The efficiency of methods used by staff checking voter eligibility and issuing ballots is a major determinant of how fast voter queues are processed. As far as possible, any disputes or difficulties with voters at these points should be directed to senior voting station officials to prevent disruption of service to the bulk of voters.
Issuing staff should ensure that:
• Where voters' names cannot be found on the voters list within a reasonable time, assistance is sought from supervisory or voter information officials--arguments over eligibility should not be allowed to hold up the voter queue.
• Voters with language problems or needing assistance in voting are referred quickly to the voting station manager or other senior information staff.
• To prevent congestion in the voting compartment area, a voter is not issued with accountable voting materials (ballots or envelopes) unless a voting compartment is empty.
Congestion may lead to breaches of voting secrecy requirements through voters attempting to complete their ballot outside a voting compartment.
Exit Control
Staff responsible for control of the voting station exit must ensure that voters leave the voting station immediately after depositing their ballot in the ballot box (or after lodging a computer or voting machine vote).
Monitoring by Managers
The voting station manager and any other supervisory staff must constantly monitor the length of time voters are waiting in queues, entry control, and activity at the ballot issuing tables. Issues needing particular attention include:
• checking the overall number of voters in the voting station at any time and advising entry control staff of any need to slow down or speed up entry rates;
• being aware of any difficulties or disputes arising at ballot issuing tables and moving quickly to ensure that these do not affect voter flow;
• in voting stations with multiple voting materials issuing tables, the relative speed of issue at each table.
Where tables deal with separate alphabetical or other divisions of the voters list, inefficient or tired staff at one table can lead to a long queue, and resentment at relatively slow processing, for one segment of voters. Flexibility in systems to allow rotation of staff between the different tables or functions will help maintain overall voter service and goodwill. Such rotation will require a more complex system of maintaining staff accountability for voting materials issue.
Perimeters Around Voting Stations
Legal delineation of an area around the voting station available only to voters, security forces and accredited party or candidate representatives, observers or guests, but not to party campaigners or any other persons not attending to vote, can aid both crowd control and voting station security.
The appropriate radius of this area will vary according to the number of voters assigned to the voting station and the security situation. In various jurisdictions the radius of this exclusion zone may range from a few metres to several hundred metres7. Where buildings used as voting stations (such as schools) are set in fenced grounds, the fence line could also be legally defined as the voting station area. Such perimeters--established with rope, tape, or other barriers--can be of use in distancing any disturbances and crowd problems from the voting area itself.
In some jurisdictions, judicious use of staff and distribution of copies of voters lists to officials stationed at the perimeter are used to assist in advising intending voters if they do not have any required personal documents, have turned out at the wrong voting station, or are not registered, before they join a voting queue, and thus ease crowd control burdens within the voting station.
However, patrolling such perimeters can be very resource-intensive and impractical to enforce if set at a considerable distance from the voting station itself.
Control of Voting Station Entry
Entry to the voting station should be controlled to ensure only those with authorised access to the voting station--voters and other accredited persons--are allowed to enter, and that the number of voters within the voting station area at any time is of manageable proportions. All voting station officials, party or candidate representatives, observers, and security staff authorised to be present in a voting station should:
• be issued an accreditation document or card which must be presented on entry to the voting station;
• prominently wear a badge or other article of apparel that clearly distinguishes them from voters and indicates their function while in the voting station.
Stationing of a voting station official at the voting station entrance to check voters' identity documents can be the most efficient method of controlling voter entry. The nature of the entry check will be in part determined by voter eligibility requirements and the ballot issue system, and in part by efficiency considerations.
Entry control is easy to achieve in systems where voters must produce a document--a general identity card or a voter identity card of some description--to gain entry to the voting station. The issue is how far should the checks on entry extend to achieve a balance between strict entry control, efficiency, and accessibility to voters.
Rigorous control of voting station entry will also be impossible in systems where maximum accessibility to voting processes is the overriding goal--for example, where there is no requirement to show an identity card on entry, where voters lists are not unique for each voting station, or where unregistered persons may register at a voting station or cast a tendered or provisional vote.
Basic Check
The simplest level of entry check is merely to ensure that voters have the documentation required for voting.
Where such documentation is a general purpose identity card, or a voter identity card that does not identify the voting station at which the voter is eligible to vote, this check may only filter out those ineligible to vote or unable to attempt to vote until they return with their identity documentation.
It may allow persons who are not registered or whose registration does not entitle them to vote at the voting station to enter, and transfers the need to deal with these persons to officials controlling queues inside the voting station or issuing voting materials. It does reduce delays for voters entering the voting station.
Higher Level Checks
Where effectiveness of crowd control inside voting stations or integrity of issue of ballot materials is perceived as a potential problem, more thorough checks on entry to the voting station may be appropriate:
• Rigorous entry checks can be maintained if all voters are issued voter identification cards showing their appropriate electoral district and voting station.
• However, due regard must be paid to voter accessibility and equity issues, so as not to exclude voters who have been the victims of error in production of official materials.
Use of Voters List as Entry Control
In systems where voters are not issued voter identity cards, a copy of the voters list is sometimes used at the entrance of the voting station to determine eligibility for entry. However, there are significant disadvantages to this method:
• It can add to delays in entering the voting station, particularly where the quality of compilation or accuracy of details on voters lists' is poor.
• It is inefficient since it duplicates the effort of other voting station officials, as the vital voters list check should occur when voters are issued accountable ballot material.
However, checking against the voters list at the voting station entrance can have some advantages, though these need to be carefully assessed against the above disadvantages:
• It can provide early notification to voters that they cannot be easily found on the voters list, or are not on the voters list, and allow these voters to be immediately directed to senior officials for assistance and information.
• It moves the area where major disputes are more likely to occur with voters away from the area issuing accountable voting materials.
Use of Maps for Entry Control
Use of voting district maps at the voting station entrance and questioning of voters as to their address of registration can be an effective method of redirecting voters who have turned out at the wrong voting station.
This can be particularly important where voters' lists have only recently been introduced and where there are doubts about the general awareness of voters of the correct voting station to attend, due to new procedures or changes to electoral boundaries.
Numbers within Voting Station
Numbers of voters entering the voting station need to be controlled to the extent that orderly queues are maintained, and so that the number of voters inside the voting station does not prevent voting station officials, party or candidate representatives, and other observers from having a clear view of all voting compartments and ballot boxes.
Some relaxing of strict control of numbers entering the voting station may be required immediately before the time for close of voting if there are still voters outside the voting station waiting to vote.
Weapons
Confiscating weapons carried by voters is a task that should be carried out by security forces outside the voting station rather than by voting station officials.
In environments where this is likely to be an issue, liaison between local security forces and the voting station manager on optimal methods for ensuring weapons are surrendered, and establishment of secure storage and collection points for surrendered weapons, will be required.
Signs
Signs and barriers can be used to assist voters in their flow through the voting station and in keeping queues orderly. Signs should prominently identify the areas and tables for:
• issuing voting material;
• the voting station manager's desk;
• issuing special votes;
• information, language, or other assistance services;
• the ballot box (es).
It is important that signs used are comprehensible to all voters; particularly in areas of lower literacy, symbols should be used, rather than relying totally on words.
Where there is more than one table for issuing voting materials, and these are to deal with different sub-sets of voters on an alphabetical or geographic residence basis, there must be clear, visible signs above or by each table and at the head of the voter queue for each table indicating the correct table and queue for voters to join.
In all cases, placing of signs and markers for heads of voter queues some two to three metres from the relevant issuing table will prevent congestion around the voting materials issuing area.
Barriers
Barriers can be used to maintain a controlled queuing area and keep voters moving in the correct direction through the voting station. Use of a lightweight, flexible, barrier system, such as rope, modular cardboard or lightweight plastic poles/stands, or even road-marking barriers, can allow maximum effective use of available queuing space by compressing queues into a zigzag or similar formation.
Barriers are particularly useful for exit and entry control where voting stations have a combined entrance/exit. They can be similarly used to ensure that voters do not re-enter voting stations after depositing their ballot in the ballot box.
The need for crowd control barriers, and the staff resources that need to be devoted to crowd control, will vary according to the cultural environment. In societies where patience and order are a significant part of the general cultural ethos there may be a minimal requirement for crowd control measures.
Efficiency Measures
Speed of processing of voters and voter capacity of voting stations can be increased by:
• combining voter eligibility checking and voting material issue at the same location;
• having more than one voter eligibility checking/voting material issuing table, allowing simultaneous processing of more than one voter;
• Where voters must complete a ballot for more than one election, issuing ballots or accountable envelopes for all relevant elections simultaneously (either as separate ballots or combined on the one ballot).
Making voters go sequentially to different tables for eligibility checking and voting material issue for each of simultaneous elections being held in a voting station has the potential to cause confusion and slow down voter processing. Some rare exceptions to this may occur where there are major differences in eligibility criteria for different elections being held simultaneously.
Splitting Voter Queues
Where several streams are used for eligibility checking and voting material issue it would be more usual for the voters list to be split on an alphabetical basis by surname, with voters directed to a queue formed in front of the appropriate table. Where this form of organisation is used, care needs to be taken that:
• the voters lists have been printed so that a fresh sheet is commenced with each alphabetical family name division;
• the split of the list allows approximately equal numbers of voters to be serviced by each issuing table--this will depend on frequency of family names: for example, in many societies, a straight A-M, N-Z split of the list will give widely unequal parts.
Local electoral management officials, while planning voting station operations, should determine appropriate splits for each voting station.
Use of Bank-Style Queuing
Where there is more than one eligibility checking/voting materials issue table in a voting station, voter flow can be most efficiently handled by using a single voter queue.
Officials would then direct voters to the first vacant eligibility checking/materials issue table, rather than splitting voters into separate individual queues based on an alphabetical split of family names or on address of residence.
However, this method's greater efficiency in speed of processing has to be balanced against other cost, management, and integrity considerations that can be adversely affected by its implementation:
• Instead of printing a single voters list for each voting station, that may be split to create different voter streams, additional complete voters lists for the voting station will be required, with consequent additional print and control costs.
• Being marked on a voters list can no longer be a solitary, primary control to prevent multiple voting; though it can be used as a means of identifying voters who vote more than once.
• Additional controls, such as surrendering of voter identification cards or marking voters with ink, are required for prevention, with the additional materials, or equipment and staffing costs involved.
Voting station management needs to be of high quality to take full advantage of the service flexibility possible.
Provided that the voters list format, and measures for materials control and ballot validation are sufficiently flexible, using the voting station manager or another staff member at a temporary eligibility checking/materials issue table can assist in clearing longer voter queues at peak-periods. This is more cost-effective than allocating additional full-time staff that may be under-employed for the whole day.
Other Planning Measures
There are other highly important planning measures that will assist in crowd and queue control. These would include:
• pro-active liaison between local officials of the electoral management body and political, community, and employer groups to determine if and when to expect large influxes of voters, through organised transport or other arrangements, and attempts to negotiate scheduling of these so that they do not arrive at the same time;
• maintenance by the electoral management body of individual voting station statistics of voter turnout by time period, and of queuing time for a sample of voters, so that resource allocations (e.g., the number of voting compartments required or part-time staff) can be effectively matched to peak voting periods.
