Layouts of voting stations should aim to maximise:
- the efficiency of the flow of voters through the voting station;
- the effective implementation of voting processes as required by the legal framework;
- the security and integrity of voting;
- the transparency of the voting process;
- efficiency of staff allocation;
- protection of the secrecy of voting.
It will not always be possible to fully achieve all these aims simultaneously, as there will often be restrictions imposed by:
The voting procedures as defined in the legal framework for the election. For example, requirements that ballot boxes be stationed next to the officers issuing voting material and that voters return to the table from which their material was issued to deposit their ballots can impede effective voter flow. In developing voting station layouts, the most effective way of implementing the required procedures must be considered.
The suitability of the building or area used. There may not be much choice available in voting locations, and buildings or other areas used may not be of the optimal size or configuration for the numbers of voters, numbers of staff, party/candidate representatives, and observers present, staff responsibilities, and the processes to be implemented.
Approved Voting Station Layouts
Standard layouts for voting sites are a necessary basis for developing cost-effective staffing profiles, any standard staffing levels (see Voting Station Staffing Levels) assigned to voting stations, materials supply, and staff training. Some flexibility will be needed to allow adaptation of standard layouts to suit the floor area available in each voting station.
Following inspection of voting sites (or where inspection is not possible, provision of a floor plan by the building management), an approved layout should be prepared for each site. It is useful for voting station managers (if already appointed) to assist in this preparation. In remote areas, it may be left to voting station managers to prepare the layout; these should still be approved for use by the relevant electoral district manager.
Voting station managers must be required to implement the approved layout for their voting stations. Enforcing adherence to approved layouts is a major factor in ensuring effective voter service on voting day and maintaining cost-effectiveness.
For further discussion of the interrelationship between voting procedures and voting station layouts, see Crowd and Queue Control, Determination of Eligibility to Vote and Issue and Casting of Ballots.
Entrances and Exits
To promote an orderly, easily controlled flow of voters through a voting station It is preferable that:
- the voting area has only one available entrance and one available exit;
- the entrance and exit are at opposite ends of the voting area, to allow a one-way progression of voters through the voting area.
This configuration will not be available in all sites used for voting. Many otherwise suitable (or the only available) locations will have a single entrance and exit doorway or entrances and exits in close proximity to each other. In such cases, barriers should be used to promote the flow of voters around the voting station and especially to separate voters entering from voters leaving the voting station.
Supervisory Staff
Positioning of the voting station manager's (and deputy's, where allocated) table should allow effective oversight of all staff and voter activity. It would generally be better located near the entrance to the voting station, to allow easy access by voters needing assistance with information or in voting. The area around the voting station manager's table would also be the preferable area for secure storage of voting materials not currently in use.
Materials Issuing Area
Tables for issuing of accountable voting materials should be set up so that officials issuing material have a clear view of both the queued voters and the voting compartments. Having materials issuing staff directly facing the queued voters may make it difficult for them to have a clear view of both of these. Also, their location should allow a well-defined queue to form.
Voting Compartments
Voting compartments need to be positioned so that voters can complete their votes in secret and that activity around the voting compartments can be monitored by polling officials. The style of voting compartments used, whether free standing, table-top, or needing support from a wall, will affect the flexibility of positioning available. Wherever possible, they should be located between the voting materials issuing area and the ballot box(es). Care must be taken, when tall freestanding voting compartments are used, that their positioning does not obscure officials' and observers' view of the ballot box(es).
Often the major cause of delays in voting stations is not any lack of efficiency by voting operations officials, but the time taken for voters to complete their ballots. This is a factor that needs careful study in determining:
- the number of voting compartments required to maintain a steady flow of voters for the expected voter turnout (see Voting Compartments);
- the voting station floor area required to install the requisite number of voting compartments in a layout that allows easy voter access to the voting compartments.
Consideration should also be given to the space requirements for provision of compartments for use by disabled or wheelchair bound voters. These may require a more generous space allocation and special tables or voting compartment design to allow wheelchair access.
Furniture
Many of the officials working in the voting station will require tables, and in designing layouts the space requirements of these need to be carefully calculated to ensure that there is sufficient room for free access. Tables would normally be needed for:
- voting station manager and deputy manager;
- staff checking voter eligibility and issuing accountable voting materials (the more these functions are split between different staff, the more table top space is likely to be required).
Where these tables are placed, and the direction in which they face, will have a large effect on voter processing.
They may also be required for:
- display of information or other electoral materials;
- as a stand for ballot boxes;
- as a working or reporting area for party/candidate representatives and observers.
The balance has to be struck between providing officials with an adequately sized work surface and not overcrowding the voting area with furniture. Exit and entry passages should be kept free of furniture. In cases where materials are being issued or voter checks undertaken at the entrance to the voting station, there may be a need to use tables to allow only one voter to pass at a time; however these should not overly obstruct the passageway.
Tables for which there is no apparent, specific purpose should not be left in the voting area. Not only do they impede voter traffic, but it is tempting for voters to use these, instead of the secret voting compartments, as a place for completing their ballots.
Other furniture, such as storage cabinets for materials and secure storage for filled ballot boxes, may also be required. Space requirements and locations of these should be clearly marked on layout plans.
Barriers
The use of even rudimentary barriers can be of great assistance in ensuring that voters move in a controlled manner through the voting station. The placement of barriers should clearly define the voter flow path yet still allow free movement of officials and observers within the voting station. Areas where barriers can be usefully employed include:
- to define the queuing area;
- direct voters to the appropriate sets of voting compartments and ballot boxes where such differentiation is required by the voting procedures;
- maintain separate paths for voters entering and leaving the voting station (particularly important where a single access point is used for both entry and exit);
- ensure that voters, having deposited their ballots, do not move back into the voting area.
Barriers can both define the path of the queue and be used to coil the queue to make maximum use of the available queuing space. Where there is more than one queue, they can be used to ensure that the queues remain separate. Barriers should be arranged so as to maintain access for voters to the voting station manager and information staff.
While electoral administrations wanting to present a highly professional image may have special barriers produced, barriers can also be constructed cost-effectively from ropes or use of existing materials from other government sources, such as barriers used for vehicle or pedestrian traffic control.
Ballot Boxes
Ballot boxes should be set up in a position in full view of polling officials, party/candidate representatives, and observers, and not obstructed by voting compartments or other furniture. The numbers of ballot boxes required as defined in the legal framework (e.g., separate ballot boxes for different ballots in simultaneous elections or separate ballot boxes for different voting streams) and any legal requirements for voters to return to the point of issue of voting material to deposit their ballots will influence where ballot boxes can be located within the voting station. The most efficient placement, in terms of voter traffic control is between the voting compartments and the exit to the voting station. The area required for ballot boxes will depend on whether they are freestanding units or require tables to bring them up to a reasonable height.
Communications
Fixed line telephone connections should be set up so that, wherever possible, telephones are located on the voting station manager's table. Where a fax machine is required it should also be set up in the area where the voting station manager's and deputy's tables are located.
Multiple Room Voting Stations
It is preferable that voting locations allow all voting activity to occur within a single area. Where the only available premises contain multiple rooms, it would be better to split voting activity so that voters do not have to move from room to room to complete voting processes. For example, where multiple voting streams are used (using an alphabetic or geographic split of voters attending), the aim would be to fully process a different voter stream, from eligibility checking to depositing of ballots in the ballot box, in each room.
Using multiple rooms for different functions--checking voter eligibility in one room, issuing ballots and/or ballot envelopes in another, positioning voting compartments and ballot boxes in another--can have efficiency disadvantages. In general, use of multiple rooms voting stations may be less cost-effective in additional control staff required to maintain voter flow, in additional management difficulties, and often in additional equipment required and should be avoided wherever possible.
Examples of Layouts
For some examples of potential layouts for voting stations, under different procedural requirements, see Potential Voting Station Layouts.
