Initial Sorting
In the case of multiple ballot elections (presidential, national legislature, and municipal elections on the same day for example), there should be an order of priority for counting these ballots, so as to avoid mistakes and confusion in the counting process. This should be part of the rules given to the poll workers during the training session and in the documentation of operational procedures for counting. Instructions should also be given for procedures to be used when ballots are found in the wrong box.
Only one person should handle the initial sorting of ballots; this is usually the poll official who provided the ballot to each voter on election day. This is particularly important if initials are added on the back of the ballot. In some countries' legislation political parties' representatives handle the ballot sorting.
Spoiled ballots should already have been separated and counted as part of preparing the ballot paper account. A spoiled ballot is simply one that a voter marks incorrectly, or is somehow unusable, and hands back to poll officials in exchange for a new ballot. Spoiled ballots should never be placed in the ballot box. In some countries, spoiled ballots are put in a separate envelope. This is to preserve the secrecy of the ballot, as the voter may have indicated how they wanted to vote on the spoiled ballot.
Sorting Procedures
One way of sorting is as follows. Once the ballot box is opened, the poll official verifies the validity of each ballot in the process of counting. As they proceed with the task, he needs to be able to distinguish between a valid ballot and a counterfeit (by the watermark or other identifying mark on valid ballot papers). Any identified counterfeit ballots should be set aside, counted, and reported to the electoral management body as an attempt at fraud.
The poll official will divide up all ballots by candidate/political party/option as they are counted. At the same time, he can determine all potentially rejected ballots and set them aside. After the count of valid ballots is complete, the poll official must go one-by-one through the pile of potential rejected ballots, and decide on the validity of each one.
Potential rejected ballots that are determined to actually be valid are separated by candidate/party/option. All invalid ballots, as well as any counterfeit ballots, are counted and set aside. The poll official will then add the additional valid ballots decided to the initial number of valid ballots for each candidate/political party/option, and make a total count for each candidate/political party/option.
Rules of interpretation, guidelines, and illustrations regarding the basis for rejecting a ballot should be provided to the poll official, and be known in advance, to facilitate the decision making process. In all cases, rejected ballots should be put aside and kept. No ballots are to be destroyed.
The separation of rejected ballots is important to create an audit trail of the count, and is an essential component if there is to be a recount of the ballots. Rejected ballots must be closely examined, and the poll official should announce the reason for rejection of each such ballot. Political party or candidate representatives should be able to examine the rejected ballots. If political party or candidate representatives do not agree with the decision of the poll official, they should be able to make formal objections that can form the basis for contesting the results of the count. There must be clear rules for recording objections made by representatives of political parties or candidates.
Once the spoiled, counterfeit (if any), and rejected ballots have been separated, the valid ballots can be counted. The poll official can call out in a loud voice the choice of each voter, and show the ballot, so the political party or candidate representatives, and other persons allowed in the polling station for the counting, are able to see the ballot and make their own count. The various representatives and national and international electoral observers witnessing the count must also be able to see each counted ballot. For greatest efficiency, other poll workers should assist the poll official during the counting process. However, it must be very clear who is entitled to make a decision on the validity of a ballot.
