Basic Issues
Operations during voting hours and the ballot count are the culmination of all election activity, and they are the result of the complex interplay of all factors impacting the electoral process, both those under the control of electoral managers and environmental factors. The range of methods by which voters may participate in the voting process is of wide variety among jurisdictions. It is not possible to canvass all potential methods in these brief summaries. Subsequent sections attempt to draw out from this highly complex interplay some general guidelines for methods of operation during voting hours.
What is most important to remember is that providing voting facilities is a service industry. All aspects of voting hours operations need to be oriented to quality and cost-effective service to voters.
Voting Station Readiness
To ensure that voting stations are ready to open at the required time on voting day, voting station managers and staff must be required to arrive for duty well before the scheduled opening time and conduct commencement of voting checks on all materials and facilities to be used during voting day (see Preparations for Commencement of Voting). Issues that need to be addressed include:
Ensuring that the voting station has been set up correctly: that all signs and/or barriers are in place, entrance and exit are freely negotiable, all furniture and equipment is set up correctly, any security zones have been delimited and security forces are in place (see Site Checks).
Ensuring that all staff are present, that any replacement staff required are sought, and that staff are aware of the duties for which they will be responsible during voting hours. (Further discussion of staffing issues, see Staffing Checks).
Rechecking materials available to ensure that these have been allocated correctly to the relevant staff and that any reserve materials are securely stored (see Materials Checks);
Testing that any equipment to be used during voting hours is correctly installed and is functioning: including communications equipment, lighting and heating, ballot boxes and voting compartments. This may also include emergency power supplies, voting machines, and computers. Even if these have been tested the previous day during installation, they should be rechecked just prior to the commencement of voting. (For further information on these equipment issues, see Equipment Checks.)
A reporting schedule is necessary to ensure that each voting station manager reports to the electoral district manager on the state of readiness of the voting station prior to the scheduled time for commencement of voting.
Voter Service
When turning out to vote, voters have a right to expect to be processed courteously, professionally, and efficiently. General issues with regard to voter service are discussed at Voter Service. Effective implementation of procedures for voting is a team effort within each voting station, which can be broken down into a number of key areas, discussed in detail in relation to:
Staff Management
To realise the potential effectiveness of their staff, voting station managers and other supervisors have to proactively manage what is happening in their voting stations, rather than sit behind a table watching voters pass by. Voting station managers need to continuously monitor and supervise their staff's performance, and ensure that staff's working environment is conducive to high-quality performance levels (see Voting Station Staff Management).
Integrity of Voting Processes
Effective implementation of measures designed to protect the integrity of voting is essential if the election results are to withstand any challenges. Voters must have the opportunity to vote freely and confidentially. Voting station staff must properly implement procedures to ensure that only those eligible to vote are allowed to vote, through efficiently:
- conducting identity checks on voters;
- determining, by reference to voters lists and/or other documents, whether a voter is eligible to vote at that voting station;
- undertaking checks to prevent impersonation of eligible voters and multiple voting.
(For details of procedures in regard to these issues, see Integrity Controls.)
Security
There are a number of aspects to security during voting hours, including:
- maintaining personal security of voters, voting station officials, and political participants;
- ensuring that voting stations are free of threat and intimidation;
- preventing loss of or damage to voting material, or the introduction of spurious voting material.
Cooperation between voting station officials and security forces, and a clear understanding of their respective roles, is vital. (Maintenance of security during voting hours is discussed in detail at Security in Voting Stations.)
Crisis Management
While effective planning of voting station operations should minimise the chances of crises occurring, there will be issues over which election staff have little or no control, such as natural disasters, civil disturbance, and other unforeseen occurrences. Operational deficiencies may lead to voting stations not being supplied with the necessary materials or equipment. Contingency planning should address such potential circumstances (see Contingency Plans). Where it is not possible to continue voting station operations, decisions on whether to adjourn or postpone voting will need to be taken (see Crisis Management).
Role of Party/Candidate Representatives
Transparency of voting is enhanced when party and candidate representatives can freely observe voting processes at all voting locations. For critical activities, such as verification that ballot boxes are empty prior to the commencement of voting, and sealing of ballot boxes and packaging of materials at the close of voting, party or candidate representatives' formal witnessing of voting station officials actions can assist in publicly assuring election integrity. With rights to observe, party and candidate representatives also have responsibilities with regard to their behaviour while in voting stations. (For discussion of party/candidate representative roles during voting hours, see Role of Party/Candidate Representatives.)
Stability of Voting Frameworks
Significant advantages can be gained by maintaining some stability in the frameworks used for operations of voting stations. This is not to say that changes should not be introduced; but change needs to be shown to cost-effectively increase performance against the principles of voting operations. Change for its own sake can both lower cost-effectiveness and confuse voters. Where voting frameworks have a consistent basis from election to election:
- voting station officials build-up their store of knowledge of voting processes, so that both their performance improves and training may be more cost-effective;
- analysis of past performance can lead to improvement in methods of implementing the voting framework;
- voters can develop a reasonable understanding of what will be expected of them when they go to vote, relieving pressure on voting station staff to guide voters through voting processes and leading to efficiencies in staffing;
- voters are less likely to make errors in casting a valid ballot, thus enhancing effective participation;
- there may be room for cost-efficiencies in voter education and information campaigns.
