The Quick Count and Election Observation

THE QUICK COUNT AND ELECTION OBSERVATION
(b)establishing contacts with highly regarded institutions such as universities,
communication media, teacher unions, labor unions, agricultural
groups; and
(c) requesting endorsements from highly respected citizens, who help in the
recruitment effort.
Once a person decides to volunteer, she or he becomes a natural recruiter of
family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Approached in this way,
the network often grows rapidly.
National and regional leaders should attend as many of these meetings as possible;
special guests can increase turnout, and leaders can use the opportunity
to check on the progress of local recruiters and on the quality of volunteers
being brought into the organization.
Once a person decides
to volunteer, she or he
becomes a natural
recruiter of family members,
friends, neighbors
and co-workers.
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National leaders must guide local recruiters regarding the number of volunteers
they need to recruit. The sample size will be the driving factor determining
local target numbers. However, some groups that have an objective to involve
as many people as possible in the electoral process may mount an open-ended
recruiting campaign and plan to involve new volunteers in other projects. Time
and financial constraints, of course, may limit the possibility of an entirely
open-ended campaign.
Volunteers needed at the municipal levels include:
• observers to be inside polling stations (often in two-person teams to
ensure accountability, share work and reduce potential intimidation);
• runners to collect forms and report information if observers are not permitted
to leave and re-enter polling stations;
• office support staff;
• substitutes for observers who are fatigued, sick or absent;
• mobile observers to check outside polling stations and in the surrounding
areas for vote-buying, intimidation, blocking entrance or movement
of prospective voters, etc., to add to the qualitative analysis of the process;
• observers to cover and report on activities in regional and municipal election
offices; and
• telephone operators, as necessary.
The sample size will
be the driving factor
determining local target
numbers.
Volunteers for Central Operations
Once recruiting for quick count observers is well underway, the volunteer coordinator
turns to centrally-based operations. National staff, such as the executive
director, logistics specialists, trainers, media specialist and the accountant can
all benefit from volunteer support. Demand for support in national headquarters
increases as elections near. Potential jobs for volunteers include:
• welcoming visitors and answering telephones;
• assembling packets of materials going out to the field;