The Free and Fair Election Network has proposed an audit of documents and result forms from each constituency before they are made official by noitfication in the official gazette.

In a document titled ‘Election Results Audit Framework’, FAFEN said that the expansive nature of the election process gives rise to controversies but every step of the process is documented.

The Network added that the documents can be referred to in the case of a controversy.

Owing to vast scale of the process and the use of seconded personnel, application of rules and provisions can differ which leads to confusion and disputes regarding election results. According to FAFEN, this calls for a scrutiny process to promote tranparency in the election process.

The Network has proposed a ‘methodical’ audit of election documents and result forms from the election before election notificatiosn are published in the gazette.

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“The proposed audit aims to determine whether or not the election result accurately reflects the will of the voters who cast their ballots on the election day,” FAFEN said.

The audit is proposed to be carried out in three stages

1. Verification of election result forms

• Make sure all election related documents are available
• Authenticating documents
• Completeness and correctness assessment
• Reconciling the forms with each other
• Review of invalid votes

2. Ascertaining effect of inverified forms and corrective action

• Reissue correct documents where applicable
• Repoll in polling stations with faulty documents
• Repoll in entire constituency where needed

3. Accountability of election officials

Order enquiries and penalise election officials where unverified results have been published since all election officials are deemed to be under ECP control.