Although polling day procedures went smoothly at this year's general elections, the latest observer mission report says the process can be streamlined to allow for the quicker release of results.
According to the Organisation of American States (OAS) in its Electoral Observation report on the August 28 polls, the opening, conduct and closing of the poll ran smoothly. However, it noted that the procedures for closing the polls and returning the statements of poll and other election material were laborious and complicated. It added that the designation of multiple envelopes, which had to be sealed with sealing wax and stamped with the presiding officer's seal, was time consuming. As a result, the mission has recommended that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) simplify the procedures to be followed by the poll workers on election day, especially those that pertain to the closing of the polls. It said too that the process could be streamlined without jeopardising safeguards.
Given the country's post-electoral history, the report did laud the timely announcement of results. It said the commission's communications strategy effectively contributed to promoting public confidence in the election and vote counting processes, and the periodic updates were seen to have defused speculation.
Nonetheless, the mission's observations in regions 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10 demonstrate the need for reforms, which could be a boon for the speedy transmission of results. In Region 4, which has the largest portion of the electorate, it was noted that the count and transmission of the results were properly completed, but delays at some stations arose from inadequate training in the area of the final count and closing. The observers also found that the lengthy procedures made the concentration difficult to maintain. Added to that, the late hour at which ballot boxes were delivered meant that party agents did not always choose to accompany them to the Returning Officer.
In Region 1, the observers noted that there was some confusion regarding the procedures to be followed at the close of poll and that the transmission of results was slow, partly affected by the sparse communication through the region.
In Region 2, the closing procedures seemed to have been followed in general. The counting of ballots in the region went smoothly, but the signing of the forms and the packaging of the ballots and ballot boxes were found to have taken a great deal of time and seemed frustrating to all involved. (It was also noted campaign posters, especially for the PPP/C and the AFC, were displayed very near to the polling stations, well under the prescribed 200 foot limit for campaigning materials.)
Similarly, in Region 3, while the procedures for counting were accurately completed by 8 pm, packing the polling material took two hours. There was only one bus for all the polling stations at the Parika/Salem Community High School, so officials had to wait for all other polling stations to finish before the voting material was transported to the nearest police station. The observers felt that moving material out station by station with the vehicle returning to the polling place might have made the process run more efficiently. They pointed out that there was adequate security to safeguard the transmission of the ballot boxes and polling material to the Returning Officer. Some problems with the closing of poll created delays and there was confusion about post-poll procedures in Region 5 as well. The counting process was slow and meticulous in Region 9, and while there were a few slight problems, such as confusion about the ballot sequence, all were eventually resolved. The polling stations closed on time in Region 10, but the counting was slowed by the separation of ballots for the general and regional elections and the fact that a few ballots became mixed up. There were also problems resulting from the multiple envelopes provided by the commission for the return of the different materials.
A common criticism in the report was that the buildings used as polling stations, particularly in urban areas, were extremely difficult for the physically challenged voters to access. The observers noted the narrow staircases, corridors and informal bridges that posed general health and safety hazards when crowded by voters. The findings for Region 4 highlighted the problem.
Many teams reported that the buildings used as polling stations were unsuitable for access by physically challenged voters, with steep stairs and other hurdles, although heroic efforts were often made by these voters and their helpers to get them to the polls. The three stations at Mercy Wings Vocational School were located in a building that can only be reached by crossing a makeshift wooden bridge into a swampy pool.