Preparing for the Count
Where voting stations are used for the count, in addition to dealing with materials (see Collection of Ballots and Verification and Packing of Materials) and party/candidate representative issues (see Role of Party/Candidate Representatives), there are some preparatory actions that need to be undertaken to reorganise the area into an efficient facility for counting. (For preparations where separate counting centre facilities are used for the count, see Vote Counting at Counting Centres.)
The exact preparatory actions taken and the nature of the reorganisation will depend on the manner of voting--manually, by machine or computer--whether a single or multiple elections have occurred, and the method of the count.
Preparatory Actions
Where paper or card ballots are used, there are some general guidelines within which these actions should be undertaken:
- collection and reconciliations of voting materials (see Collection of Ballots and Verification and Packing of Materials);
- following a thorough check for any ballot materials left in the area, the voting compartments should be dismantled and moved to an area out of the way of counting staff;
- any crowd control barriers within the voting station should be dismantled to provide an uncluttered count space;
- if all ballot boxes are not opened simultaneously, set up an area for secure holding of ballot boxes not yet being counted;
- reorganise available furniture in the configuration required for the count;
- distribute and set up any equipment required for the count--ballot counting machines, calculators, tally boards--according to the requirements of the count;
- where special ballots are also being counted, set up the facilities required for counting these.
If large numbers of party/candidate representatives and/or observers are present, there may be a need to place some barriers to allow free movement of count officials around the count tables and prevent party/candidate representatives observers from handling ballots or intimidating voting station officials. If this is necessary, barriers should not be erected at such a distance to prevent party/candidate representatives from fully observing count processes.
Reorganisation of Furniture
Furniture will generally need to be reorganised to provide a counting area, a table from which the voting station manager can supervise the count, an area for party/candidate representatives, and often a rest area for staff. The count area configuration will vary according to the count method.
When using efficient production line-style count methods, with the ballot papers progressing through areas for emptying of ballot boxes/unfolding of ballots, sorting to candidate/party, counting, check counting and recording, and parceling, an elongated double 'T' formation for count tables is effective. An example of this style of layout is shown below.
The layout of the count area will also depend on:
- whether there are ballots for more than one election to be counted (e.g., president and legislative body, or multiple legislative bodies);
- whether the elections use a single ballot or multiple ballots;
- whether counts for different elections are to be held simultaneously (in which case extreme care needs to taken that ballots from different elections are not mixed) or consecutively.
Where different ballots from the same voters are counted simultaneously, and particularly where ballots for different parts of a representative body or representative bodies have been placed in the same ballot box, a U-shaped table layout can be effective. An example of this type of layout is shown below.
For more information on effective counting layouts, see Vote Counting at Polling Stations and Vote Counting at Counting Centres.
Where voting machines or computers are used, radical reorganisation of the voting station furniture will generally not be necessary if the count is to take place in the voting station. Count totals taken from the machines can be added and processed at a single table, with a small area set up for reconciliations of voter records to ballots counted, with any required count area for special votes also set up.
Voting Station Staff
No matter what the pressure for an immediate start to the count, the voting station manager should ensure that all staff who have been working all day on voting station duties have an opportunity for a break between close of voting and commencement of the count. This may be achieved by the employment of unskilled or junior staff for a short period to reorganise furniture and clean up the voting station (see Staff Categories and Duties).
Prior to the count commencing, all staff should also be briefed by the voting station/count manager, a quick review of essential features of the procedures and any specific instructions for the particular count location. Observers and party/candidate representatives present for the count should also be invited to attend this briefing.
