It is highly preferable that premises that already have sufficient furniture on site are used as voting stations. Schools, in particular, are likely to meet furniture needs. Delivering and retrieving furniture from voting stations, particularly bulky items such as tables, can be costly.
Sources of Additional Furniture
Where additional furniture is required for a voting site, the following sources could be considered:
Other government sources. Loan or rental may be arranged from other government agencies. Government surplus stores may also hold stocks of useable furniture.
Private furniture leasing contractors.
Purchase of disposable corrugated cardboard furniture. Disposable cardboard two-person tables for voting officials, crowd control barriers, and rubbish receptacles have been developed in some jurisdictions. Costs for tables, in particular, can compare favourably with leasing costs for durable items, especially when transport is considered.
For examples of design specifications for disposable corrugated cardboard furniture for voting stations, see the following:
In most environments it would be very unlikely that there would be any justification for the electoral management body to purchase durable furniture for voting station use. However, in some less developed environments, if there are insufficient private leasing or other government stocks available, purchase of furniture may be the only option to ensure that voting stations can function effectively. If furniture does have to be acquired, specifications would preferably ensure that it is of future wide utility in other public sector activities.
Furniture Requirements
The amount of furniture required for a voting station will depend on the staffing levels and numbers of expected voters. The essential basic requirements include:
- tables and chairs available in good condition and sufficient for use by polling staff, in voting compartments (if required), as ballot box stands (if required), party or candidate representatives and observers, and to provide some seating for elderly or physically handicapped voters;
- barriers to direct voter traffic flow and maintain queue control, as simple and cost-effective as rope strung between poles, or as corporate image conscious as the cardboard equipment whose specifications are linked above.
Additional furniture requirements, such as secure storage cabinets and waste bins, may also be useful. (For further information on furniture requirements for voting stations, see Voting Site Facilities.)
