Election day in Alberta is the end of a process that starts months earlier and takes thousands of people to oversee. Most of those people are employees of Elections Alberta. A key role on election day itself, however, is performed by volunteers known as scrutineers. Scrutineers are important to ensure that election day is well run and that the public can trust the process and the outcome.
As Elections Alberta defines it, “Scrutineers represent candidates at voting locations to ensure fairness and transparency and to observe the election procedures and the counting of ballots.” I’ve been a scrutineer several times. While scrutineers have a right to be in a voting place, I also consider it a privilege to participate in the process. The ability of any individual to take part in the process of selecting our political leaders is the foundation of our democratic society.
Scrutineers represent a specific party and candidate, but they wear a badge that identifies them only by their role. They swear an oath of secrecy and good conduct. They agree that they won’t campaign or otherwise try to influence voters; they’re not even permitted to wear buttons or carry signs aligning themself to a candidate or party. By law, polling stations must be neutral environments. But not only are scrutineers expected to observe neutrality, they help uphold it by paying attention to how carefully other parties’ scrutineers follow the rules.
Ideally each candidate will have a scrutineer at each polling station all day, but that’s not always the case, depending on the candidate or their party’s ability to attract volunteers. I recall one election when a scrutineer only showed up for the count at the very end of election day—and quickly left after deciding their candidate had lost in that polling station!
Votes must be counted fairly and accurately. Scrutineering helps to ensure both.
Scrutineers have several important duties. They’re allowed to arrive up to 30 minutes before a voting place opens, before any votes have been cast, to verify that the ballot boxes are indeed empty. They can then observe the election process. They can view the record of electors who have voted (ideally when election officers aren’t processing a long lineup of voters!). They can challenge an elector they believe isn’t eligible to vote.
Scrutineers tend to work shifts, and some of them get to witness democracy at its most fundamental level—the hand-counting of ballots. When the polling station closes at the end of the day and has been secured for the count, election officers can provide scrutineers with a tally sheet to create an unofficial count. The officers then open the boxes and record how the ballots were cast. Scrutineers can view—but can’t touch—any ballot. They can object to an officer’s decision about how a ballot was cast, with each objection noted, but voting officers get the final say on how a ballot was cast.
As Canadian citizens we have a right to vote, but our vote must also be counted fairly and accurately. Scrutineering helps to ensure both.
If you’re interested in politics you’ll likely enjoy the opportunity to be a scrutineer. Election day is already exciting and full of anticipation, all of which is amplified when you’re actually in a polling station. Knowing that you played a critical role in the fairness and transparency of the vote and the count is very rewarding. An added benefit is that you develop a deeper understanding of your community. I’ve always thought I “knew” my neighbours until I began scrutineering. I was sometimes surprised to see who showed up at my poll!
To be a scrutineer, you don’t need to be an expert in the electoral process. Parties and candidates often provide training, and Elections Alberta staff are extremely knowledgeable and have always answered my questions. To scrutineer for the current election, contact your preferred candidate or party—they’ll be glad to hear from you. See you on election day!
Sara-Jane Greutzner lives in Calgary.
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