Election Day Manual for Polling Agents

Monitoring Elections in Pakistan

 Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................... 3

Monitoring Elections .............................................................. 3

Elections ......................................................................... 3
Monitoring ....................................................................... 4
Monitoring by Domestic and International Observers ..... 4
Monitoring by Political Parties ......................................... 4

Your Job ............................................................................... 5

Before Polling Day .......................................................... 5
On Polling Day ................................................................ 6

Election Procedures ............................................................. 7

Authorized Personnel ..................................................... 7
Opening of the Polling Booth .......................................... 8
Voting ........................................................................... 10
Closing of the Polling Booth .......................................... 13
Counting ....................................................................... 14
Transporting the Results ............................................... 17

Glossary ............................................................................. 20
Types of Ballots .................................................................. 21

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 Introduction

You have been chosen to be a Polling Agent under Article 23

of The Representation of the People Act 1976 and rule 10 of
the Representation of the People (Conduct of Election) Rules,
1977.

You will be your party’s official monitor at a polling booth

on polling day. As a Polling Agent you serve the candidate
who appointed you and the greater cause of democracy in
Pakistan.

This booklet was written to help you perform your duties as a

Polling Agent. But The Representation of the People Act
1976 and the Constitution are the ultimate authorities on
electoral procedures. If disagreements arise refer to the law.

Monitoring Elections

Elections
“The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of
the government. This will shall be expressed in periodic and
genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal
suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free
voting procedures” Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Article 21 (3).

Elections allow citizens to choose their government. Citizens

should vote in secret, without fear of violence or intimidation,
and results must be announced quickly and accurately.

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The Government and the Election Commission of Pakistan
administer the parliamentary elections and ensure they are
free and fair.

On polling day voters go to polling stations to choose their

representatives to the National and Provincial Assemblies.

The party that wins the most seats in the National Assembly
forms the government. Other parties may join the government
or serve in opposition. Opposition parties play a critical role
in all democracies by monitoring government policies and
actions.

Monitoring
No election in any country is completely free of mistakes.
People run elections, and people make mistakes. Because
elections produce winners and losers, and no one wants to
lose, some candidates or parties may try to rig the outcome.
Election monitoring can:
Reduce mistakes and rigging
Build confidence in the electoral process and the results
Enhance democratic methods of decision-making
Promote peaceful conflict resolution
Increase respect for human rights.

Monitoring by Domestic and International Observers

The Election Commission of Pakistan invites non-partisan
domestic and international organizations to observe elections.
Like Polling Agents, observers help identify mistakes and
rigging. Domestic and international observers may be at any
polling station or booth - including the one where you are
working.
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Monitoring by Political Parties and Candidates
Parties monitor elections to protect their interests. This is a
good thing. The rest of this booklet describes the job of a
Polling Agent.

Your Job

Identify human error and rigging. By being alert and

knowing the election procedures you can uncover
innocent mistakes or rigging.
Correct problems. You can bring problems to the
attention of polling officials and suggest solutions.
Collect information about the election. You provide your
party with information about the conduct of the
election at your polling station.

This sounds simple, but to be a professional Polling Agent

you need to know about Pakistan’s election procedures.

Before Polling Day

Attend a training session organized by your party.
Review this manual so you know what to do.
Ask questions if you are unsure about any part of your job.
Assemble the supplies you will need on polling day:
⊗ This manual
⊗ Monitoring checklists
⊗ The electoral rolls for your assigned polling booth
⊗ Notebook and pen
⊗ Food and water
⊗ A small amount of money

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On Polling Day
Be prepared for problems. Nobody is perfect. Honest
mistakes will happen. If problems arise, stay calm.

Be at your polling station. Stay until voting and counting are

completed (or you have been relieved by another Polling
Agent for your candidate). If you do not stay at your polling
booth no one will defend your party’s interests.

Raise Concerns. If you do not raise concerns on behalf of

your party no one else will. If you have a question or think
that there is a problem raise the issue with the Assistant
Presiding Officer or Presiding Officer to solve it.

Document Concerns. Write down what you observe at your

polling booth. This will help you remember any problems
that arise. Inform your party about what happened at your
polling booth. If there were no problems your party needs
to know, and if there were mistakes or rigging your party
needs to know that as well.

Remember the polling officials are in charge. Bring

problems to the attention of the Assistant Presiding
Officer or the Presiding Office.

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OPENING OF THE POLLING BOOTH
Arrive early. Arrive one hour before the opening of the polling
booth.

Introduce yourself. Introduce yourself to the Assistant

Presiding Officer at your polling booth, to the other Polling
Agents, and to any domestic and international observers.

Signs should be posted showing the way to the polling

station. A sign should also be posted outside the polling
station listing the candidates and their parties and symbols.
No party signs or banners are allowed within 100 yards of the
polling station. No party camps are allowed within 400 yards
of the polling station.

There should be signs in the polling station directing voters to

the polling booth where their name is listed on the electoral
rolls.
On polling day morning the Assistant Presiding Officer will
set up the polling booth. The secrecy area of the polling
booth must be set up so no one can watch voters mark their
ballots.

All ballot boxes should be shown to be empty and

then sealed prior to voting.
Each ballot box has a serial number. The Presiding
Officer should write this number down on form 11-
A. You have the right to sign this form, confirming
the sealing of the ballot box.
Ballot boxes should be placed in a visible location.
You should have a copy of the electoral rolls for
your assigned polling booth.

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Things to Look for during the Opening of the Polling Booth
Outside of the Polling Booth
Did anyone attempt to stop authorized personnel from
entering the polling booth?
Were there party signs or banners within 100 yards of the
polling booth?
Were there party camps within 400 yards of the polling
booth?
Were police and/or security personnel at the polling
station?
Were there signs directing voters to the polling station?
Were there signs directing voters to their polling booths?
Was the queue of people waiting to vote orderly?
Inside the Polling Booth
Is the secrecy area set up so that voters can mark their
ballots in private?
Were the ballot boxes shown to be empty and sealed?
Can the ballot boxes be seen at all times?
Were two Assistant Presiding Officers and one Polling
Officer assigned to your polling booth?
Were unauthorized people present in the polling booth?
Did the polling booth have enough ballot boxes, ballot
papers, ink, official marks and voters special stamps?
Did your party provide you with a copy of the electoral rolls
for the polling booth assigned to you?
Bring concerns to the attention of the Assistant Presiding
Officer or the Presiding Officer. You should document your
concerns and inform your party after completing your duties.

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VOTING
Voting begins promptly at appointed time. Only voters whose
names appear on your electoral rolls can vote at your polling
booth. Voters whose names are not on your list should be
directed to the Presiding Officer to find out where they
should vote.

Typical Voting Process

Each voter should go through the following process:

1. The voter arrives at his her designated polling station.

2. The voter queues for his/her designated polling booth.
3. The voter reaches the front of the queue for his/her
designated polling booth and waits until requested to go
the Polling Officer.
4. The voter presents himself/herself to the Polling officer.
5. The voter shows his/her national identity card.
6. The number and the name of elector as entered in the
electoral rolls is called out by the Polling Officer.
7. The entries relating to the voter on the electoral rolls are
scored out.
8. The voter’s thumb is checked for previously applied
marks.
9. The Polling Officer then will apply indelible ink on the
thumb of the voter.
10. The voter then proceeds to the First Assistant Presiding
Officer (for National Assembly).
11. The First Assistant Presiding Officer records on the
counterfoil of the ballot paper the number of the elector
on the electoral rolls, the number of National Identity
Card of the elector, stamps it with the official mark, sign

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 the counterfoil and obtains on it the thumb impression of
the elector.
12. The First Presiding Officer stamps the ballot paper on the
back with the official mark and signs it. He then issues
ballot paper for National Assembly to the voter.
13. The voter then proceeds to the Second Assistant
Presiding Officer (for Provincial Assembly). The same
procedure is followed and he gets ballot paper for
Provincial Assembly.
14. The Second Assistant Presiding Officer explains to the
voter how to mark his/her choice on the ballot paper and
will hand over the marking aid stamp to the voter.
15. The voter goes the secrecy area.
16. The voter marks the ballot paper with his/her choice
using marking aid stamp and fold the ballot paper half
vertically.
17. The voter puts ballot papers in the ballot boxes lying
before the Assistant Presiding Officers.
18. The colour of the ballot paper and ballot box for National
Assembly will be green and the colour of the ballot paper
and ballot box for Provincial Assembly will be white.
19. The voter returns the special marking stamp to the
Assistant Presiding Officer.
20. The voter immediately thereafter leaves the polling
station.

Problems during Voting

Name Does Not Appear on the Electoral Rolls. If the voter’s
name does not appear on the electoral rolls he or she
cannot vote at that polling booth. The voter should be
directed to the Presiding Officer to find out where they
should vote.

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Voting for Someone Else. A voter must be present in order to
vote. A voter cannot vote for someone else unless the
voter is blind or requires assistance.
Assisted Voting. Voters who are blind or require assistance to
vote are permitted to select individuals to accompany
them into the secrecy area to help them mark their ballot.
This individual does not have to be the Assistant Presiding
Officer, person under the age of 21, agent of any
candidate or any candidate.
Name already scored out on the Electoral Rolls. A voter
whose name has already been scored out, but who insists
that he/she has not voted, can vote using a tendered ballot
if he/she does not have indelible ink on the thumb.

In this case, the voter’s name is added to the tendered

votes list and the voter is given a ballot. The Assistant
Presiding Officer then places the marked ballot in the
tendered ballot packet, not in the ballot box.
Questionable Identity. If you believe someone has already
voted, or is not the person they claim to be, you can
challenge that person’s right to vote as provided in Section
35 (1) of the Representation of the People Act 1976.

First, you must deposit two rupees with the Assistant

Presiding Officer, who will provide you with a receipt for
the two rupees. The voter’s name is added to the
challenged votes list and the voter is given a ballot paper.

The Assistant Presiding Officer then places the marked

ballot paper in the challenged ballot packet, not in the
ballot box.
Spoilt Ballot Paper. A voter who makes a mistake while
marking his or her ballot can return the spoilt ballot paper
to the Assistant Presiding Officer in exchange for a new
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 ballot paper.

The Assistant Presiding Officer then places the spoilt

ballot in the spoilt ballot paper packet, not in the ballot box.
Special Voters. To minimize the inconvenience of voting for
pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled those voters
should be permitted to go to the front of the queue without
waiting. This is not the law, but a decent practice that all
those working in the polling station should agree to.
Things to Look for during Voting
Were those who were entitled to vote not allowed to vote?
Were those who were not entitled to vote allowed to vote?
Did anyone vote more than once?
Did anyone leave any campaign materials, such as
posters or pictures of party symbols, in the secrecy area?
Did anyone try to put more than one ballot in the ballot
box?
Did anyone try to interrupt or interfere with voting?
Were unauthorized people in the polling booth?
Was the queue of voters’ orderly?
Was anyone permitted to vote whose name was not on
the electoral rolls for the polling booth?
Was anyone permitted to vote that already had ink on his
or her thumb?
Did anyone vote without with out his or her name in the
electoral rolls being scored out?
Were you permitted to challenge individuals you believed
were not who they claimed to be?
Were challenged ballot papers put in the ballot box?
Were voters whose names were already scored out, but
who insisted they had not voted and who had no ink on
their thumbs, given tendered ballots?
Were tendered ballot papers put in the ballot box?

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 Were pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled
permitted to vote without waiting in the queue?
Were blind and other voters requiring assistance permitted
to choose someone to assist them while voting?
Did every voter promptly leave the polling station after
voting?
If you have concerns about any of these issues bring them to
the immediate attention of first the Assistant Presiding
Officer at your polling booth and then the Presiding Officer
of your polling station. You should also document your
concerns and inform your party after completing your duties.

CLOSING OF THE POLLING BOOTH

Polling booths close at appointed time. No one is permitted to
join the queue for the polling booth after that time. Voters in
the queue at closing time can still vote.
Once the last voter has cast his or her ballot, the Assistant
Presiding Officer informs the Presiding Officer that voting is
complete.
The Assistant Presiding Officer and the Polling Officers then
move election materials including the ballot boxes, from the
polling booth to the polling station’s counting room. You
should accompany the ballot boxes and other election
materials from the polling booth to the counting room.
Things to Look for during the Closing of the Polling Booth
Was every voter in the queue at closing time permitted to
vote?
Were voters prevented from joining the queue before
closing time?
Was anyone permitted to join the queue after closing
time?
Did anyone interrupt the closing of the polling booth?
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 Did anyone steal or interfere with the ballot boxes during
the closing of the polling booth?
Were all ballot boxes sealed?
Were you permitted to accompany the ballot box from the
polling booth to the counting room?
If you have concerns about any of these issues bring them to
the immediate attention of the Assistant Presiding Officer or
the Presiding Officer. You should also document your
concerns and inform your party after completing your duties.

COUNTING
Counting for all polling booths at a polling station is done in
a single counting room. The Presiding Officer is in charge of
the counting process. The Assistant Presiding Officers and
Polling Officers help the Presiding Officer with the counting.
You are responsible for ensuring all of your candidate’s votes
are counted properly, and to monitor the fairness of the count.

Counting the Number of Ballot Papers

All ballot boxes from the polling booths at the polling station
are emptied onto the area designated for counting. The ballot
papers are then unfolded and flattened. No attempt is made to
look at the ballot papers at this time. The Presiding Officer
announces the total number of ballot papers to all present in
the counting room.

Sorting of Valid and Doubtful Ballot Papers

Each ballot paper is inspected to determine whether or not it
is valid or doubtful.
A ballot paper is doubtful if it:
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Is not an official ballot paper.
Has no official mark made by an Assistant Presiding Officer
on the back of the ballot paper.
Was marked with anything other than the voters’ special
stamp such as a pen, pencil or thumbprint.
Has no mark on it.
Has marks for more than one candidate.
Has one mark made by the voters’ special stamp that falls
evenly between two candidates.
A valid ballot paper has only one mark made with the voters’
special stamp that clearly indicates the voter’s choice for one
candidate. Ballot papers on which the voter has marked with
the special stamp should be counted if the voter’s intention is
clear.
Doubtful ballot papers are placed in a separate packet.

Counting the Number of Ballots Cast for Each Candidate

First, all ballot papers for the National Assembly must be
counted, then all ballot papers for the Provincial Assembly
shall be counted.

Valid ballot papers are sorted into different stacks according

to the candidate whose name was marked by the voter.

Challenged Ballot Papers

After all of the ballot papers from all of the ballot boxes of
the polling station have been counted, the challenged ballot
papers are counted.

From the challenged ballot papers, doubtful ballot papers

then identified. The doubtful ballot papers are pinned
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together, and are then kept with the challenged ballot papers
that were not ruled to be doubtful.

Completing the Statement of the Count

The Presiding Officer then fills out the Statement of the
Count. This records the official results for the polling station.
For each candidate, the Presiding Officer records the
candidate’s serial number, name, number of regular votes,
number of challenged votes, total number of votes, and any
remarks.

The Presiding Officer signs the Statement of the Count and

then allows the Polling Agents at a polling station to sign the
form. You or another Polling Agent from your party should
sign this form if the votes were counted properly. One Polling
Agent from your party should receive a certified copy of the
Statement of the Count, and this form should be quickly
submitted to your candidate or party to help them tabulate
their election results.

Things to Look for during Counting

Were all ballot boxes still sealed when brought to the
counting room?
Was there adequate space and light for counting?
Were the ballot papers first unfolded and stacked?
Was there agreement over the number of ballot papers?
Was there agreement over which ballot papers were valid
and doubtful?
Was there agreement as to which ballot papers were cast
for which candidate?
Did the Presiding Officer fairly resolve any disputes?

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 Were challenged ballot papers counted and added to each
candidates vote total (they should have been)?
Were tendered ballot papers counted and added to each
candidates vote total (they should not have been)?
Was there agreement on the total votes for each
candidate?
Did the Presiding Officer correctly complete the Statement
of the Count?
Did a Polling Agent for your party sign the Statement of
the Count?
Did a Polling Agent for your party receive a certified copy
of the Statement of the Count from the Presiding Officer?
Did anyone interrupt the counting process?
Did anyone attempt to steal any ballot papers or boxes?
Were any unauthorized persons present in the counting
room during the count?
Did anyone attempt to add marked ballot papers during
the counting process?
If you have concerns about any of these issues bring them to
the immediate attention of the Presiding Officer. You should
also document your concerns and inform your party after
completing your duties.

TRANSPORTING THE RESULTS

Before the results are sent to the Returning Officer, the
Presiding Officer completes the Ballot Paper Account form.
This determines if all the ballot papers are accounted for. The
Ballot Paper Account form records:

The number of ballot papers issued to the polling station.

The number of ballot papers taken out of the ballot boxes and
counted.
The number of tendered ballot papers from all of the polling
booths.
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The number of challenged ballot papers from all of the polling
booths.
The number of spoilt ballot papers from all of the polling
booths.
The number of unissued ballot papers from all of the polling
booths.
The number of ballot papers issued to the polling station
should equal the sum of ballot papers in ballot boxes,
tendered ballot papers, challenged ballot papers, spoilt ballot
papers and unissued ballot papers. At least one Polling Agent
for your party should receive a certified copy of the Ballot
Paper Account form.

All election materials from the polling station should, under

the supervision of the Presiding Officer, be placed in the
appropriate packets.

1. Valid ballot papers in separate packets, one for each

candidate.
2. All doubtful ballot papers (regular and challenged).
3. All packets containing valid and doubtful ballot papers.
4. Unissued ballot papers.
5. Spoilt ballot papers.
6. Tendered ballot papers.
7. Challenged ballot papers.
8. Electoral Rolls from all polling booths.

The Presiding Officer then makes arrangement for secure and

swift delivery of the bag containing the election results and
materials to the Returning Officer.

Things to Look for during the Transportation of Results

Did the Presiding Officer correctly complete the Ballot Paper
Accounting form?

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Were all of the election materials in their correct packets?
Did anyone interrupt the packing process or attempt to steal
any of the packets?
Did the Presiding Officer take the election materials, including
the Statement of the Count, immediately to the Returning
Officer?

If you have concerns about any of these issues bring them to

the immediate attention the Presiding Officer. You should also
document and inform your party about your concerns after
completing your duties.

Glossary
Polling Station - Where voting and counting takes place. Each
polling station is divided into one or more polling booths.
Polling Booth - Area within a polling station where people vote.
Secrecy Area - Location within a polling booth where voters
mark their ballot papers in secret.
Counting Room - The area within a polling station where all
the ballot papers from all of the polling station are counted.
Electoral Rolls - List of people designated to vote at a polling
booth. Only those people whose names appear on the
electoral rolls for a particular polling booth are permitted to
vote there.
Serial Number of a Voter- Each voter has a unique serial
number used to identify him.
Ballot Paper - The piece of paper on which voters mark their
choice for Member of Parliament. The ballot paper contains
the name of each candidate, his or her party symbol and a
space for the voters to mark their choice.
Counterfoil - Part of the ballot paper kept by the assistant
presiding officer when the ballot paper is given to the voter.
Official Stamp Mark – A rubber stamp mark placed on the
back of the ballot paper by the Assistant Presiding Officer just
before giving it to a voter. Only ballot papers with an official
stamp mark will be counted.

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Special Stamp - Stamp used by voters to mark their choice on
their ballot paper. Only ballot papers marked with the special
stamp will be counted.
Statement of the Count - Document completed by the
Presiding Officer recording the number of votes received by
each candidate at a polling station. Polling agents can sign
this form and are entitled to a copy.
Types of Ballots
Valid Ballot Paper - A ballot paper that has only one mark on
it and that clearly indicates the voter’s choice. The Presiding
Officer decides which ballot papers are valid. Valid ballot
papers are counted.
Doubtful Ballot Paper - A ballot paper that does not have any
mark, or has more than one mark, or has only one mark, but
that mark does not clearly indicate the voter’s choice. The
Presiding Officer decides which ballot papers are doubtful.
Doubtful ballot papers are not counted for any candidate.
Challenged Ballot Paper - A ballot paper given to a voter
whose eligibility is challenged by a Polling Agent. Challenged
ballot papers are put in a special packet rather than the ballot
box. Challenged ballot papers are counted.
Tendered Ballot Paper - A ballot paper given to a voter whose
name has already been scored out on the electoral rolls, but
who insists he or she has not voted and does not have
indelible ink on his or her thumb. These ballot papers are put
in a special packet rather than the ballot box. Tendered ballot
papers are not counted for any candidate.
Spoilt Ballot Paper - A ballot paper on which a voter has
incorrectly made his or her mark. A voter can return a spoilt
ballot paper to the Assistant Presiding Officer in exchange for
a new ballot paper. Spoilt ballot papers are put in a special
packet and are not counted for any candidate.
Unissued Ballot Paper - A ballot paper that is unused.

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Polling Agent Pledge

During the term of my appointment as a Polling Agent,

I ______________________________ pledge to:

[full name]

1. Defend the interests of my chosen candidate and party to

the best of my ability.
2. Respect the Constitution and laws of Pakistan.
3. Know my rights and responsibilities as a Polling Agent.
4. Recognize the authority of the election officials.
5. Not interfere with the work of election officials.

To these principles I commit myself, on my honor.

______________________________
[signature]