The Quick Count and Election Observation

THE QUICK COUNT AND ELECTION OBSERVATION
election commissions also promulgate observer rights and responsibilities in
a set of standards or a code of conduct. 4
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It is common for election observers to be required to present proof of legal
authorization (accreditation) as they enter polling stations. Some election commissions
approach this task by granting a letter of authorization to observer
groups that meet established criteria. The groups, in turn, distribute the letter
to their volunteers. In some countries, however, civic organizations work
in conjunction with electoral authorities to produce individual observer badges,
or credentials.
The time and effort needed to guarantee observer access to the polling and
counting stations is always underestimated. Civic groups must begin the application
process very early. The case of the Dominican Republic illustrates just
how difficult the process can be, particularly for a group conducting its first
quick count:
The time and effort
needed to guarantee
observer access to the
polling and counting
stations is always
underestimated.
In 1996, the civic group Citizen Participation (PC) faced a hostile election
commission. The commission saw PC as a threat and resisted giving
them observer credentials to enter the polling stations on election day.
In fact, PC had to turn to the international community for help in persuading
the election commission to release credentials. When the
commission finally did grant permission for the group to observe the
process, it argued that it was too busy to prepare credentials for the
whole group. Then, twenty-four hours before the polls opened, the
commission announced that it would require the inclusion of a signed
photograph for each observer’s credential. This created a major lastminute
problem in PC’s production and distribution of credentials.
It is instructive to note just how much circumstances changed in the Dominican
Republic once the civic organization, PC, had gained experience and credibility
among electoral authorities. By the 1998 elections, the relationship had
improved significantly. Recently, the election commission asked PC for its assistance
in training polling station officials. This type of progressively improved
relationship is common between civic groups that observe elections and election
authorities around the world.
Absent official authorization, access to observe the election process is uneven
at best. Groups should avoid attempting to conduct quick counts by acquiring
the information second-hand, such as through political party representatives.
This approach can compromise the quick count because the groups cannot
attest to the quality of the voting and counting processes, nor can the group
prevent collusion among parties. Alternatively, groups can station observers
outside polling stations to rapidly report on a number of qualitative aspects
of election-day developments. For example, such observers can measure voter
Groups should avoid
attempting to conduct
quick counts by acquiring
the information
second-hand.
4
Appendices 3A - 3D contain an election law, an election regulation and two codes of conduct regarding
domestic election observers; and Appendix 4 is a compilation of excerpts from human rights instruments
that apply to citizens’ rights to monitor elections.