The Quick Count and Election Observation

THE QUICK COUNT AND ELECTION OBSERVATION
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With such a short form (12 to 15 questions), doesn’t this mean
that we will not be getting some very important information?
No, not at all. Experience shows that the information needed to determine
whether the election is proper or not can be collected in 12 to 15 questions.
If observer groups want to ask many more detailed questions about the quality
of the electoral process, this can be accomplished without compromising the
short qualitative form. How? Usually, additional qualitative information is collected
in one of two ways. One way is to ask quick count observers to collect
additional qualitative data on a separate form. The additional information from
that extra form can be collected from observers after election day. The reason
for reporting these data separately is to avoid over-burdening the communications
system. Alternatively, more detailed qualitative data can be gathered by
observers who are not a part of the quick count observation. Either way, these
additional data can be used in a more detailed post-election report. The important
point is that this information should be reported separately so that it will
not overload the communication system. The information is not lost, it is just collected
and analyzed later.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Question Design
Designing the content of the observation forms (the questions) is an important
task that requires patient and careful attention to detail. Past practice
suggests that the best way to go about designing the questions is to recruit a
small team of people who can work together. That team needs to be able to
identify what are the 12-15 most important qualitative questions for observers
to ask, and they need to be aware of some key factors that will guide them to
make informed decisions about what is the best way to ask these questions.
For that reason, members of the team have to have some expertise.
Typically, the volunteer coordinator takes the lead in designing forms. She or
he works with several additional individuals, including:
• The executive director or a board member—Knowledge and judgement
about the political environment is needed to be sure that questions
address the likely key problems in election-day procedures, such as disenfranchisement
or illegal voting based on voter lists, ballot box stuffing,
crediting votes to the wrong candidate, etc. Therefore, the executive
director, a board member, or other such person must help to design the
forms.
The best way to go
about designing the
questions is to recruit a
small team of people
who can work together.
• An electoral law expert—Because questions aim to evaluate the quality of
election day processes, the team needs to include someone who is knowledgable
about how election day processes are supposed to work. This
means including someone on the team who knows the details of the electoral
law and regulations.