Guidelines for Reviewing a Legal Framework for Elections
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Mobile Voting

It is common for an election law to provide for mobile voting for persons who are physically disabled or who cannot come to the polling station for other valid reasons. The voter accommodation principle underpinning the concept of mobile voting is commendable. However, provisions for mobile voting are often written in such a manner that they are subject to abuse and fraud.

If mobile voting is allowed under the legal framework, it is certainly appropriate for the examiner to make the following recommendations to safeguard the integrity of the mobile voting process:

• A procedure must be in place to identify voters using mobile facilities to prevent double voting.
• Mobile voting should be used only in cases where it is physically impossible for the voter to travel to the polling station to vote. This fact must be established by the voter, making where possible a written application to the polling station committee, explaining why it is physically impossible for the voter to travel. The application must be submitted by the voter, and acted upon by the polling station committee, within deadlines established by law.
• Observers of all categories, or their representatives where numbers must be restricted for practical reasons (i.e., transport by helicopter, etc.), should be permitted to accompany the mobile ballot box.
• The number of ballot papers taken out for mobile use and the number later returned should be formally recorded.
• The number of ballot papers taken out should accord with the number of requests received, plus a specified small number of extra ballots to allow for voters who may spoil their ballot papers.
• The number of persons who have used the mobile box should be recorded in polling station and successive protocols. This makes it possible to identify particular areas where the proportion of votes cast using mobile boxes is unusually high, which may point to fraud.
• At least two members of the polling station committee should administer mobile voting jointly within the geographical territory covered by a polling station.