The Quick Count and Election Observation
The Quick Count and Election Observation
The Quick Count and Election Observation
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C H A P T E R F O U R : B U I L D I N G T H E V O L U N T E E R N E T W O R K<br />
50<br />
In the pledge, volunteers<br />
agree to the<br />
terms set forth in the<br />
code of conduct.<br />
At the end of each recruiting meeting, leaders extend an invitation to interested<br />
participants to fill out an application to join the organization. <strong>The</strong><br />
application contains essential biographical <strong>and</strong> contact information, to be<br />
included in a central database. A pledge of impartiality should accompany the<br />
application. In the pledge, volunteers agree to the terms set forth in the code<br />
of conduct, attest to not being an activist or c<strong>and</strong>idate for any political party<br />
<strong>and</strong> promise to refrain from participating in partisan activities through the<br />
election. It is advisable to maintain the pledge forms in a secure place to be<br />
able to demonstrate that all observers made the pledge, should questions be<br />
raised about any of them. Many recruiters end the meeting with a group reading<br />
<strong>and</strong> signing of the pledge. 9<br />
TRAINING<br />
Volunteer training is generally delivered in three phases, reflecting the recruiting<br />
priorities described above. First, regional <strong>and</strong> municipal committee members<br />
are trained. Second, workshops are held for the actual observers, those who<br />
will work inside polling stations <strong>and</strong> phone in reports. Closer to the election,<br />
trainers work with computer specialists to train all of those who will work on<br />
data collection.<br />
Training Regional <strong>and</strong> Municipal Committees<br />
<strong>The</strong> first quick count training programs delivered are for regional committees.<br />
<strong>The</strong> design of these programs is complex because committee members are<br />
expected to do a wide variety of jobs, ranging from recruiting <strong>and</strong> training<br />
volunteers to forging good relations with local election officials. Some national<br />
trainers elect to gather committee members once for several days, while<br />
others offer a series of workshops to cover everything. Topics include:<br />
• what a quick count is;<br />
• why a quick count is important;<br />
• how a quick count is implemented;<br />
• electoral law <strong>and</strong> regulation, particularly sections directly pertaining to<br />
the voting <strong>and</strong> counting processes, <strong>and</strong> rights <strong>and</strong> responsibilities of election<br />
observers;<br />
• the duties of regional committees;<br />
• the duties of municipal committees;<br />
• the duties of a quick count observers;<br />
• how to set up regional <strong>and</strong> municipal offices;<br />
• a timeline of activities up to the elections; <strong>and</strong><br />
• how the national office will support regional leaders (e.g., whether there<br />
will be financial remuneration or compensation for expenses).<br />
Once regional leaders are trained, they are asked to establish <strong>and</strong> train municipal<br />
committees within their areas. <strong>The</strong> agenda is very similar to the one<br />
9<br />
See Appendices 7A-C for sample neutrality pledges from the Ukraine, Guyana <strong>and</strong> Kazakhstan.