The Central Electoral Board (JCE) authorized on Wednesday, 4 March 2020, the filming of the vote count at the polling stations for the municipal elections on Sunday, 15 March. The move is one of a series being implemented to raise the level of confidence in the electoral process. The 15 March extraordinary municipal election is being held after the 16 February election was aborted following the failure of several e-voting machines.
According to Resolution 20-20 of the JCE, the recording will be allowed after the voting closes at 5pm or when the president of the voting station declares the vote count to start. Cell phone or video cameras will be used.
The recording of the vote count may be made by the political delegates accredited to the polling station, by the election observers officially accredited by the political parties (with their respective identification badges provided by the JCE) or by those national and international observers who are duly authorized.
The JCE says that during the installation phase and the entire voting process, the ban on the use of cell phones and electronic devices inside the polling places is maintained. Devices brought into the polling station by the voters will remain in the keeping of the president of the polling station until after the voter completes his vote.
The JCE by Resolution 19-20 authorizes the appointment of special observers for those parties that are not represented in the polling stations because they are allied with other political parties. Persons need to be duly identified. They will only have the right to witness the counting of the votes, the filling out of the minutes and the transmission of the results. They will not have a say in the actions or decisions taken at the polling stations.
Likewise, the JCE resolved that national and international observers who are duly accredited by the institution may attend the counting phase, as long as they have the corresponding accreditation.
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Diario Libre
5 March 2020