Basic Issues
The close of the voting station can be an intensely pressurized period for voting station officials, especially if:
• there are considerable numbers of voters still waiting to vote at the appointed time for closure;
• there is pressure to commence counts quickly.
Clear systems and instructions, backed by checklists of actions to be taken, will aid correct decision-making during this period.
Use of Roving Supervisors
Where roving voting station supervisors are used, they should ensure that they are at a voting station, rather than in transit, at the time of close of voting and preparation for and commencement of the count.
It will be most effective if they adjust their schedule to ensure that they are present at voting stations where management has been less effective during voting hours.
Preparation for Close of Voting
Under normal circumstances, the voting station should close exactly at the time specified in legislation. It is essential that voting station managers synchronise their watches and clocks with an official time source, so that there can be no later argument as to whether the voting station closed at the correct time.
During the last hour the voting station is open, there may be actions that can be taken in preparation for the close of voting:
• If there are few voters turning out during this period, it may be possible to commence dismantling or packaging some excess equipment and material.
• If the count is to take place at the voting station, some furniture can be reorganise to the layout required for the count.
However, this should only be done if it will not adversely affect voter service during the remainder of voting hours, and no preparation of accountable voting material for the count should occur until voting has closed.
Where staffs are eligible to vote at their voting station, voting station managers should ensure that they have had the opportunity to do so before voting closes.
Voters Still Queued to Vote at Time of Closing
Equitable voting procedures will contain provisions that allow all voters inside the voting station area at the time of close of voting to vote. If large crowds of voters are still waiting to vote at the time of close of voting; this would be the result of inadequate voting station resourcing or efficiency, rather than any fault of the voters.
As a service to voters, voting station managers should ensure, wherever possible, that voting station officials move any voters still waiting outside the voting station inside the designated voting station area before the time for close of voting.
If those waiting cannot fit inside the voting station premises (so the doors may be closed), it may be possible to designate the end of the line of voters who arrived before close of voting with rope, tape, or a similar barrier, or the stationing of a voting station official or security officer at the appropriate point.
In compulsory voting systems, an additional service can be provided to voters if voting station officials guarding entrances to the voting station at the close of voting note the details of those voters who arrive after close of voting, for reference during any action regarding failure to vote.
Extension of Voting Hours
Election rules and regulations should define the circumstances under which the hours of voting may be extended and who is accountable for making such a decision. Extension of voting hours can be a very contentious decision.
Voting station managers should not take it upon themselves to decide to extend the hours of voting. To do so will be to invite almost certain challenge to the result of the election.
If considerable numbers of voters are still outside the voting station area waiting to vote or are arriving to vote after the time of close of voting, guidance must be sought from senior electoral management body officials regarding any possible extension to voting hours.
Reasonably effective monitoring of and reporting from voting stations would identify the probabilities of this well before the time for close of voting.
It may be prudent that the electoral management body extends voting hours, or extend voting to a further day. This should be done in accordance with any provisions within the election rules, which would require consultation with all political participants and government executive authorities, and possibly with
judicial authorities.
There may be situations threaten the personal safety of voting station staff, or the security of voting materials, and security forces are insufficient to offer protection or unable to provide rapid response. Common sense and self-preservation must prevail in such situations.
If the only way to preserve safety is to allow those who were not at the voting station at the time of close of voting to vote, efforts should be made to keep their ballots and voting records separate, pending a decision on extension of voting or for later adjudication as to their validity.
Actions at Close of Voting
At the exact time of close of voting, the voting station manager should officially announce that voting is closed, and the entrances and exits to the voting station should be closed and secured (if the voting station is not within a building, the perimeter of the voting station area will need to be secured).
In environments of low security risk, this could be done by voting station officials; in situations of higher security risk it would be more prudent for security forces to guard entrances/exits.
At the same time, external signs identifying the voting station should be taken down, and voters still in the voting station should be moved outside courteously as soon as they have finished voting. From this time on (unless any extension to voting hours is approved) the only persons who should be in the voting station are those holding official authorisation to be there under the election rules. This would normally include:
• Voting station officials assigned to that voting station;
• Accredited representatives of political parties/candidates
• Accredited independent observers;
• Authorized law enforcement/security force officers;
• Authorized electoral management body staff or other official observers.
This restriction must be rigorously enforced to provide integrity of the materials collecting and packaging processes.
Whether ballots are to be counted at the voting station itself, or at another location, at the close of voting, the following procedures should be followed:
• Ballot box slots should be closed and sealed immediately upon the close of voting.
Where machines or computers are used for voting, check numbers for the last vote or transaction recorded at close of voting should be recorded and witnessed, the machines locked and sealed, or computer vote entry screens securely closed to prevent further use.
• All voting materials should be collected and ballot issue records reconciled in preparation for the start of counting (see Collection of Ballots).
• Any special votes (absentee, provisional/tendered or similar) accepted in the voting station should be collected and reconciled with their ballot issue records (see Closing Arrangements for Special Voting).
• Reports on voting activity should be completed by the voting station manager.
• All other voting material not required for the count should be collected to be packaged and prepared for return to the electoral management body (see Verification and Packing of Materials).
Where counts are to be conducted at the voting station itself:
• Staff involved in the count will need to be organised and briefed.
• Count equipment and the voting station physical layout will need to be prepared for the count (see Preparation for Ballot Count).
Where counts are to be conducted at another location:
• Provisions for the secure transport of all voting station material and records to the count centre need to be implemented.
• All staff attendance and payment records should be correctly completed. If payments are made on conclusion of duty, the voting station manager should make correct payments to staff.
• All voting equipment and additional furniture should be prepared for collection or disposal.
• Any arrangements for retrieval of voting station staff should be executed
• Following collection of all election material, the premises should be tidied, locked and secured, and premises keys should be returned according to agreements made.
Additional special procedures may be required for voting locations dealing solely with special votes (see Closing Arrangements for Special Voting) and for mobile voting stations (see Close of Voting for Mobile Voting Stations).
Variable Closing Times
Some election systems allow discretion to voting station managers to close the voting station earlier than the advertised hours of voting if they believe that all voters on the voters list for that voting station have already voted.
This can be a dangerous practice, however, and where implemented has led in some instances to allegations of abuse. Even if allowed by electoral law, it is not to be encouraged by electoral management bodies. "All registered voters having voted," can too easily turn into "all registered voters that we think will vote have voted." It also does not allow for errors in voters lists, or any further service in redirecting voters turning out at the wrong voting station.
Voting Station Managers' Reports and Voting Records
It is important that following the close of voting, the voting station manager compiles a report on activities at the voting station. This report would be returned to the electoral management body with other apt voting station materials.
If ballot counts are to be conducted at another location, it should accompany the ballot material to the count.
Contents of the report would include:
• records related to voting in the voting station;
• voter service records;
• staffing and payment information;
• Reports on premises and occurrences during voting hours.
If ballot counts are undertaken at the voting station, records of the counts could also be included in the same report.
(For discussion of the detail useful to include in voting station managers' reports, see Voting Station Managers' Reports.)
