What is needed?
Physical requirements of polling sites will be to a degree influenced by what is available.
Ideally, the polling site should be easily accessible, visible and have ample space for the efficient
and effective conduct of the election process. It should also be capable of operating to a high
level of security.
Electoral Law Factors
In many cases the electoral law provides that certain activities cannot take place within
prescribed distances of polling stations. Again, given a choice, a polling station where there is
less risk of campaigning activity taking place within the prescribed distances, or other security
issues within those distances, is preferable.
Layout
In terms of physical requirements within the area where voting takes place, the ability to achieve
an efficient layout is paramount. Costs also will influence choices. In the United States of
America many polling sites would be in high quality public buildings using very expensive
automated voting systems with ample space for voters to wait, cast their vote in secret and leave
the polling site in comfort. In Uganda, a polling site in a rural area could well consist of a very
basic building with limited shelter from the weather, with very little space and where
considerable concentration is required to control access, exit and the voting process.
Considerations which must be taken into account in dealing with the physical layout of the
polling site are:
- the ability to maintain absolute secrecy during the polling process, particularly avoiding
people not entitled to be in the polling station gaining access or being able to observe the process
through windows, entrances and exits or suchlike;
- the ability to control the entry of voters to the polling site and preferably to allow them to
exit at the end of the process through a separate door;
- the ability to keep absolutely
secure all the election materials throughout the polling process and to avoid the risk of any
elector or other person having access to the polling station being able to interfere with the
election materials;
- the ability to organise a smooth flow of voters through the electoral process with ample
space for the voter to undertake each part of the process.
A further consideration is to have regard to whether the polling site will also be used at the close
of the poll for the counting of the votes. Where there are multiple vacancies or long lists of
candidates, the count process requires considerable space and must be conducted in absolute
security. This consideration needs to be taken carefully into account, as undertaking a complex
election count within a confined space, with many people present, often with poor light and at the
end of a lengthy period of polling puts considerable pressure on the people involved.
When training poll workers layout is an issue which cannot be overemphasised. The experienced
observer can frequently tell at a glance on entering a polling site whether it is running smoothly
and effectively. Disorganised queues of voters, election material left laying around the polling
site, poor positioning of booths and lack of control of entrances and exits are sure signs that the
poll workers are not well organised.
What is important is ensuring that there is sufficient space to enable voters to be dealt with
sequentially, with each of what can often be many separate tasks for each voter being undertaken
in a clear, logical and defined manner. There should be clear separation of voters from the
persons undertaking the polling process and having the ability to control the entrance/exit to the
polling site is highly desirable. Facilities for persons waiting to vote to queue outside the
immediate room used for polling are highly desirable; if there are police or other security persons
present, then they should be located at this point.
It is worth stressing again that it is often obvious at the first glance whether a polling station is
working efficiently just by judging the quality of the layout and the site selection process
involving the polling site.
The use of plans and graphics in giving guidance on layout makes it much easier for the poll
workers to adapt the particular polling site to get the best layout and process achievable. A
selection of polling site posters - see Voting Process - El Salvador, Voting Process - Haiti, Voting Process - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Voting Process - South Africa and
Polling Station - South Africa. A number of these were prepared primarily for voter education but they are
equally useful for poll workers.
Sign it or label it!
Make it simple for electors to understand what is happening - provide good quality, simple and
easy-to-read signs. Show the way in, the way out, where voters have to wait, where the ballot
box is located. Put signs in the voting booths explaining what the voter has to do. This process
may all look easy to an experienced poll worker, but will the 18 year old voting for the first time
or the 80 year old who is a little confused find voting as easy. Good layout, good signs, good
staff - with these three ingredients voting should run smoothly.
Post-election Review
Review of the situation after the completion of the election is essential. Such a review in terms
of polling site selection should be undertaken after obtaining views from samples of poll
workers, candidates, party agents and voters so that at the next election improvements can be
made. The poll worker in charge at each polling site should be asked to complete an assessment
form in respect of the site, setting out areas where problems occurred and making suggestions for
improvements. Where possible, inspections of polling sites should be made during polling hours
by the electoral manager's staff. If this can be done as soon as possible after polling commences,
it will enable a check to be made that everything at the polling site is functioning properly.
Moreover, it will also give an opportunity for a separate identification of any problem sites in
physical or staff terms.
