The preparatory process related to transportation of any ballot box is very important, especially if counting takes place at a counting centre. When ballot boxes are transported from the voting station to the counting centre, important security control must be provided prior to transportation such as verification of the serial numbers of the seals on the ballot box and on the slot. In addition, ballot boxes must be accompanied from the departure from the voting station to the arrival at the counting centre.
The ballot boxes should never be left without supervision at any time. Fear of manipulation of the ballot box contents during transportation must be procedurally addressed, and measures to ensure that the contents of the ballot boxes remain intact must be respected, communicated, and enforced.
Ideally, poll workers as well as two or more party representatives in the same vehicle should accompany ballot boxes and supplies. These measures are designed to prevent fraud and ensure that any tampering that occurs will be easily detected. The control measures should be publicised and known in advance by all participants in the process, including the public, as an indication of transparency. Controls on the movement of 'live' ballot boxes are essential to maintain the integrity of a democratic electoral process.
The selection of the carrier, whether it be private sector or public, (belonging to the Armed Forces or the Police), should be decided before the election is called and should take into consideration several factors: reliability, speed, coverage of the territory, availability of contingency measures, etc. The choice of transportation methods as well as the organization assigned to perform transport will be a key determinant in the success of the operation. The confidence in the entire election can be affected if the transportation is not entirely secure and properly carried out.
At the closing of the polls, the slot of the ballot box should be sealed so that no additional ballots can be put into the ballot box during transportation. The serial numbers of the official seals used should be written in the respective poll books and/or on the transportation forms (see Movement of ballot box - Bosnia). Then, the poll official counts the numbers of used ballots by counting the used counterfoils (the ballot box remains sealed), unused ballots, and spoiled ballots. This total should balance with the number of ballots received at the opening of the voting station. If any discrepancies are found, the poll official should recount until the missing ballots are found or make the appropriate amendments to the forms (ballot account form, transportation forms, and the poll book) noting the discrepancy.
All the forms are put into sealed envelopes and attached to the ballot box. Representatives of political parties/candidates/options can append their signatures on the seals used by the poll official or can use their own seals. The ballot box is then ready to be transported to the counting centre.
The transportation form should be completed in multiple copies and given to authorised persons. The voting official, representatives of political parties/candidates/options, the person in charge of reception of the ballot boxes at the counting centre, the Electoral Management Body and the person responsible for the ballot boxes during transportation should each have a copy of the transportation form.
For more details on the close of the poll, please refer to Close of Voting.
