Electoral Agents have better access to electoral processes than Accredited Observers, as do Count Agents, Polling Agents and Postal Voting Agents together, and the roles can be performed by one person. xxx better access to electoral processes that Accredited Observers. They have access to the electoral roll and postal voter list, have the ability to apply and inspect their own ballot seals, and cannot be excluded from electoral processes on the grounds of time constraints or health and safety.
Notes
Please note there are usually restrictions on the use and copying of the electoral roll and postal voter list. The candidate or a well trusted canvasser could take the lists out and canvas addresses. Addresses with a large number of postal voters could be canvassed.
At Postal Openings, voter date of birth and signatures are verified against details and a signature held on file. This may be partly automated using OCR workstations, with rejected ballots and a set percent of ballots (typically 10 to 20 percent) selected for manual verification. Each workstation has two screens, one for the operator and one for observers. As a minimum, observers should be able to watch and make notes of manual verifications.
The showing of the empty ballot box, the initial and final sealings happen before the polling station opens and after it closes. Voters may or may not be able to observe from outside the polling station, with the permission of the Presiding Officer. Voters can see the ballot box is sealed when they vote.
This may only be allowed at the close of the poll, which means having one Polling Agent ofr each Polling Place.
Ballot boxes are usually guarded and covered by CCTV. Electoral Services may limit access to the CCTV to a police investigation.
Ballots from each polling station and counted in the view of onlookers. The source polling station can be identified by the number on the ballot box. Onlookers can count the bundles of votes (in 50s or 100s, ask) and watch the final bundle being counted. This number can be compared with the number of votes reported by the Presiding Officer at the close of poll. Ballots from polling stations are then mixed with postal vote ballots. The mixed ballots are counted without identification of the source polling station or the postal votes. This means unusual vote ratios in the postal vote or at specific polling stations cannot be detected, but it does protect the secrecy of voting choices in the catchment of each polling station.
Doubtful ballot papers have something other than just the specified mark against candidate names. They may have crossings out, where a voter has amended their choice, use of a non-standard mark, such as a tick or smiley face, or have written text or stickers. Candidates attend the adjudication and agree on the intention of the voter, or ask for their contention of a ballot to be noted. This process offers an opportunity for candidates that have doubts about the integrity of a ballot to make a check that ballot boxes have not been switched in transit or ballot papers removed: they can ask some of their voters to make agreed marks or write agreed text on their ballot papers. This may or may not be allowed in your jurisdiction. The candidate should see papers with the agreed marks at the adjudication (candidates that complain, complain votes for them have been removed from the ballot).
' STOs are politically aligned with candidates and/or political parties. While free of UN/OSCE and Electoral Commission constraints on accredited observers (strictly impartial, making equal note of the good and the bad), Partisan Observer STOs will follow OSCE observation protocols while acting as Postal Agents, Polling Agents and Count Agents.
Postal Agents: attend the postal vote opening and verification. Opportunity to write down postal voter details to check against the electoral roll and to check for duplicates.
Polling Agents: check the ballot box is empty as the start of the poll (6:45am) and check the box is properly sealed. Check the number of votes cast at each polling station. At 10pm apply their own party ballot seals.
Count Agents: Check party ballot seals. Reconcile the number of votes cast at polling stations with the number of votes counted at the verification. Observe the adjudication of doubtful ballot papers.
Observer Reports will be gathered by Partisan Observers. Any unverified reports will be verified. A summary report will be sent to the local electoral services and if their reporting criteria are met to the Electoral Commission. There are no plans to publish anything in the public domain for the first 5 years, and then it would be only going forward.
Partisan Observers soft-launched in April 2025. To get involved, email pepe@partisanobservers.org
