| The
following polling station guidance notes are based on a
polling station having one Presiding Officer and one
Polling Clerk. However, Returning Officers may appoint
additional Polling Clerks at their discretion. References
to the "Returning Officer" refer to the
"Primary" Returning Officer (i.e. Constituency
Returning Officer) responsible. |
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| This section
deals with ordinary voting procedures. For special voting
procedures (such as proxy voting and visually-impaired
voters) and potential problems in the polling station see
"In The Polling Station - B". |
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| 2. BEFORE POLLING DAY |
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| Polling day
itself is an extremely busy day and your time will be at
a premium. It is important therefore to plan ahead with
as many details as possible. |
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| It is also
important that you are fully aware of your duties and the
procedures for which you are responsible. |
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| 2a.
Training for Polling Station Teams |
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| Your
Returning Officer may have scheduled suitable training
sessions for polling station staff. Please attend this if
available, it is for your benefit. Do not rely solely on
your past experience or on this manual. |
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| As you are
more than aware these are the first elections for a
Scottish Parliament, and in addition to this a new voting
system is being used. As a result of these two factors in
particular, as well as the fact that the poll is combined
with the Local Government elections, you will need to be
fully briefed as voters will expect you to have the
answers to their questions. |
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| 2b.
Location of Polling Station |
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| Do not
assume that the polling stations will be in the same
place as they were for previous elections. It is
important that all polling station staff know where their
polling station is situated. This information will be
provided by your Returning Officer. |
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| It is
imperative that you are not late on the day of the
elections and arrive in good time to set up and open on
time. Therefore, be aware of the exact location of the
polling station and of the amount of time it will take to
get there from your home. |
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| Arriving in
good time will enable you to ensure that the polling
station is set up in an appropriate manner. |
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| It might
also be helpful if you visit the polling station before
the day of the elections. This will help you to plan for
the positioning of signs and to co-ordinate with the
caretaker(s) of the premises if relevant. |
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| There are
different arrangements around the country regarding
access to polling places. If you are unable to gain
access contact your RETURNING OFFICER immediately. |
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| 2c.Preparing
for Polling Day |
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| The day of
the elections will be a long one for polling station
staff. Make sure you are prepared, by bringing sufficient
food and drink to last the whole day, as you will not be
able to leave the polling place. |
| 3 POLLING DAY - BEFORE THE POLLS
OPEN |
| The
Presiding Officer and the Polling Clerk should
arrive at the polling station by 6.30am at the
latest. If you are unavoidably detained or unable
to attend your polling station, please contact
your Returning Officer without delay. |
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| 3a
What happens if the key-holder to the building
does not turn up? |
| Try to contact the key-holder and
alert your Returning Officer immediately. |
| If you still cannot gain access
contact your Returning Officer to get
instructions. |
| If you cannot gain access to the
building but have the necessary polling materials
you can establish a temporary polling station.
There may be sufficient space at the entrance to
the building, or even outside it. In some cases
Presiding Officers have used the back of their
car. You will have to use your initiative.
Wherever possible avoid turning voters away. |
| Whatever the situation, you must
remember to protect the security and secrecy of
the ballot - voters must cast their vote in
secret - and you must open the polling station at
7am and close punctually at 10pm. |
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| 3b
Supplies and Materials |
| Unless
supplied direct by the Returning Officer to the
polling place, the Presiding Officer will be
responsible for the transportation of the
sundries, official forms and envelopes, the
ballot boxes, stamping instruments, ballot
papers, and the electoral register. The larger
items, such as the polling booths will have been
delivered to the building beforehand. (NB: local
arrangements may differ. Please be familiar with
your specific arrangements.) |
A check-list of polling station
supplies will be provided by the Returning
Officer with the ballot boxes.
- Ballot box
contents must be checked immediately on
receipt
- If you find
on checking the contents that any of the
equipment and materials listed on your
inventory is missing, please contact your
Returning Officer immediately
- Check that
the ballot papers are the correct ones
for your constituency and ward, that the
printing of numbers is sequential and
that there are no obvious printing errors
(note: the different types of ballot
papers may have a different sequence of
numbers)
- Ensure the 3
ballot boxes have been clearly colour
coded to receive the correspondingly
coloured ordinary ballot papers.
Depending on local instructions you may
have to do this yourself.
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| 3c
Standards of Appearance of the Polling Station
Team |
| The
atmosphere in the polling station should be
business-like and friendly and you should dress
accordingly. |
| You
must not wear any badges, slogans, or even
colours, which could appear to be representative
of a Political Party or supportive of a
particular candidate. |
| Check
your watch, either before you go to bed or when
you wake up, against the radio or television for
accuracy. Remember to bring your watch or a clock
to the polling station. |
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| 3d
Polling Station Layout |
| In
many cases the Returning Officer will have
specified the layout of the polling station in
advance and it will have been set up before your
arrival according to the Returning Officer's
instructions. You should of course conform to
these instructions. |
| However
it is possible that the polling station team will
have to set up the room. In some cases for
example you may find that the room has been used
for a different purpose the previous evening and
that you have to re-arrange the furniture. You
may also find that, irrespective of how the
polling station has been set up, you may require
to alter the layout during the day because of
particular difficulties which become obvious only
after polling has commenced. |
| Examples
of possible layouts of rooms with either one or
more polling stations are set out below. These
are shown only as a guide and may
not conform to the specific layout, determined by
your Returning Officer, which you should always
follow. |
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Remember to take full
account of the needs of disabled voters:
- Are the
ballot boxes accessible?
- Are the signs
at a height where they are readable by
all voters including wheelchair users?
- Is there
adequate lighting?
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In arranging the polling station
furniture it is important to take account of the
following needs:
- In polling
places where there is more than one
polling station make sure the polling
stations and in particular each station's
polling booths and ballot boxes are kept
separate (use chairs and tables to create
a physical barrier)
- Each polling
station will have 3 ballot boxes; make
sure the layout keeps these boxes
together side by side. They should be
colour coded to match the colour of the
relevant ballot papers.
- Ballot boxes
and polling booths should be arranged to
ensure they are accessible to voters, yet
are fully visible to polling staff. They
should also be arranged in a way that
allows the Presiding Officer to maintain
full control of the voting process.
- Ballot boxes
should be placed at a height which makes
them accessible to all voters.
- The Presiding
Officer must position themselves and the
ballot boxes in a way that prevents any
voter from leaving the polling station
without passing them.
- Make sure
that those voters with a disability are
cared for as well as is possible. Refer
to the Disabled Access Checklist which
forms Annex 1 to this part of this
Manual.
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| 3e
Signs and Notices |
The following signs are provided and
must be displayed as instructed:
- Notes for
Guidance of Voters. These must be
posted both inside and outside the
polling station, ensuring voters will see
them.
- Marking of
the Ballot Paper. This is placed on
the Presiding Officer's table facing the
voter.
- Notice for
Voters. One is placed in each booth,
as it instructs voters to make just one
cross on each ballot paper. No other
notices are to be displayed in the
booths.
- Voter
Information Poster. This provides
information to voters regarding the
purpose of the three different ballot
papers and should be situated to ensure
maximum exposure for voters without
disrupting the flow of voters.
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| 3f.
Sealing the Ballot Boxes |
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| The
Presiding Officer should close and seal all ballot boxes
a few minutes before 7am after having shown to all
present that they are empty. You should be ready to
receive the first voter at 7am prompt. |
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| In some
larger polling stations some Presiding Officers may have
spare ballot boxes. These should also be sealed prior to
the opening of the poll but should not be used unless the
original corresponding ballot box is full. |
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| The ballot
box design varies from place to place and the method of
sealing them also varies. In some areas the Presiding
Officer will use the traditional approach of a lock and
key with tape and wax (do not fix hot sealing wax on the
plastic part of a ballot box), whilst in others plastic
seals will be supplied. Whatever method is used, please
seal the ballot box securely. Remember to bring your own
matches as they are not provided. |
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| 3g.
Some Last Minute Checks Before Opening |
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| Just before
you open the polling station take a few moments to double
check that everything is ready - materials all present
and layout is appropriate. |
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| Ensure that
the official envelopes, unused books of ballot papers,
tendered ballot papers and other official documentation
are safely out of reach of voters. |
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| Check that
you use your ballot papers commencing with the lowest
serial number. This will save a lot of accounting
problems at the close of poll. Check also that the
pencils are sharpened and securely tied to the polling
booths. |
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| 4. POLLING DAY |
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| 4a.
Opening the Polling station |
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| The Polling Station Must Open at 7am. Do Not
Be Late. |
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| There is
often a number of electors, usually people on their way
to work, who arrive promptly at the opening of the poll.
You may even find electors waiting for the polling
station to open. |
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| 4b Who
may be present in the Polling Station? |
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The following persons may be present:
- Candidates and
Election Agents
- One Polling Agent for
each Political Party and Individual Candidate at
a time
- On-duty police
officers
- Returning Officers
and their staff.
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| The
Presiding Officer can restrict the number of persons in a
polling station if necessary to avoid disruption of
voting. |
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| All
Political Parties and Individual Candidates contesting
these elections may appoint Polling Agents, who must
produce "authority" from the Returning Officer.
Unlike Tellers they have the right to enter the polling
station and observe voting. The principal reason for this
is to allow the Political Parties and Candidates to
detect and deter people impersonating other voters, known
as "Personation". However only one Polling
Agent from each Political Party and Individual Candidate
may be in a polling station at any one time. It is likely
that you will receive a visit from them at some stage
during the day but they must not disrupt voting or
attempt to canvass voters. |
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| In addition
you may, during the course of the day, receive a visit
from the Returning Officer or one of their
representatives. |
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| 4c
Summary of the Basic Voting Procedure |
| The majority of electors who come to
your polling station will be eligible to vote and
the process for voting for them is very
straightforward. This summary is based on the
normal responsibilities within the polling
station, but the duties are, of course,
interchangeable. |
- Greet the
elector, ask for their name and address,
and check their eligibility to vote.
(Polling Clerk)
- Mark the
Register against the number of the
elector by placing a straight line
between the elector's number and surname
(Polling Clerk)
- Call out the
number and name of the elector (Polling
Clerk)
- Write the
elector's registration number including
the polling district reference
letters/numbers on the face of the
counterfoils for each of the ballot
papers (Presiding Officer)
- Stamp the
ballot papers with the official mark and
hand the ballot papers all together to
the elector (Presiding Officer)
- Elector marks
their ballot papers in the privacy of the
polling booth
- Check that
the ballot papers have been stamped
immediately prior to the voter placing
them in the ballot boxes (Presiding
Officer)
- Check voter
places correct ballot paper in correct
ballot box (Presiding Officer)
- Say
"Goodbye" as voter leaves the
polling station. (Presiding Officer &
Polling Clerk)
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| There
may be a number of possible exceptions to the
above norm, many of which may not occur in your
polling station. However, every Presiding Officer
and Polling Clerk should know what to do when
something out of the ordinary occurs. This is
covered in section B of this manual. |
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| 4d Stage One of the Voting
Procedure - Checking and Marking the Register |
| Is
the Voter in the Correct Polling Station? |
| Please
greet the voter as they approach the table. If
there are two or more polling stations in the
polling place, please make sure that voters
attend the correct one. The polling place should
have a sign displayed listing the streets /
addresses or an alphabetical division of voters.
Make sure that this is displayed prominently. In
some cases additional staff may be on hand to
guide voters if possible. |
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| Checking
the Register |
| Process for checking: |
- Ask the
Elector their name and address and check
to see if they are on the Register of
Electors and eligible to vote. Even if a
person hands in a Poll Card still ask and
check their name and address (Polling
Clerk)
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| Only persons whose names are on
the register or their proxies can vote |
| Any Poll Cards handed in should
be kept and destroyed |
- Read out the
Elector's name and electoral registration
number (Polling Clerk)
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Draw a
straight line against the elector's
number on the Register of Electors
(between the elector's number and
surname) (Polling Clerk)
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| Who
is Eligible to Vote? |
| Most
electors just have their name, electoral
registration number and address shown in the
register. These electors are eligible to vote in
any election. |
| However,
some will have a letter or a date between their
number and surname. A letter indicates
eligibility to vote in certain elections and a
date indicates when they attain voting age. |
- If the date
between their number and surname on the
register is after the date of the poll
then the person is NOT allowed to vote.
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Electors who
have the letters A, E, F or U next to
their name are NOT allowed to vote.
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