Statement of the Vote for a Ballot Box
The statement of the vote is a form on which results are written. The counting official completes this form for each ballot box counted at the counting centre.
On the statement of the vote for each ballot box the following general information could be found:
- name of the electoral district;
- number of the ballot box;
- name of the polling station if available and if needed;
- whether the contents of several ballot boxes were added (or merged) to this ballot box;
- date;
- signatures of the counting official and counting workers.
Representatives of political parties/candidates/options present at the counting table should, as well, append their signatures on the form. Along with their signatures, the following information should be found: printed names, addresses and telephone numbers. In case of any problem, it will then be easier for the Electoral Management Body to locate and contact them.
Specific information on the count should include
- information found on the ballot account form completed at the polling station and attached to the ballot box;
- number of ballots received at the opening of the polls from the Electoral Management Body;
- number of spoiled ballots;
- number of unused ballots;
- the total number of voters who cast their vote on election day according to the voters list.
The following information should be added:
- number of valid ballots for each candidate;
- political party or option;
- number of rejected ballots;
- number of total valid ballots.
Additional detailed information - such as the serial numbers of the seals on the ballot box or numbers of the ballot box itself - is required to appear on the statement in some jurisdictions.
In several jurisdictions, this form is an important document since it provides the information used by the Electoral Management Body to release the results. The counting official responsible for the processing of the ballot box and contents should complete this form with utmost care.
Progress Report
Once all the ballot boxes for an electoral district are counted, the person responsible for combining results for the counting centre should prepare a progress report ready to be sent to the Electoral Management Body. The progress report should contain the same information as the statement of the vote for each ballot box, or consist of a summary for the entire electoral district.
Cumulative Statement of the Vote for a Counting Centre
Once the statement of the vote for a ballot box is completed, a copy is given to the person responsible for combining the results for the counting centre. Each statement of the vote for each ballot box counted in the counting centre is included on this cumulative statement of the vote for a counting centre. The same general information is needed:
- name of the electoral district;
- date;
- signature of the person in charge of the cumulative statement of the vote;
- signatures of representatives of political parties/candidates/options present.
The figure for each ballot box is reproduced on the cumulative statement of the vote for a counting centre. Specific information could include the number of the ballot box and the total number of valid ballots for each candidate/political party/option; total number of rejected ballots; total number of spoiled ballots; total number of valid ballots for each ballot box. The total for each column is added, creating the cumulative statement of the vote for the counting centre.
