GECOM bans party agents from ‘live streaming’ on cell phones during recount

…agrees to modify counting sequence to accommodate more boxes daily

Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Sunday met and decided to ban party agents from using their cell phones to live stream activities at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) while at the counting stations where ballots cast at the March 2, General and Regional Elections are being recounted.

The Commission’s decision was related to media operatives encamped outside of ACCC by GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, who noted that the deliberations were had as a result of complaints lodged.
It was explained that party agents will now only be able to take photographs of the ballot boxes before they are opened to be recounted and the completed Statements of Recount (SoRs), generated from a recount of each of the ballot boxes.
Speaking with media operatives, Ward said, “what the Commission decided on is that the use of cell phones particularly as it relates to the counting exercise will not be for any sort of streaming purposes but only to take photograph of the ballot box when it arrives in the work station.”
She explained that this provision is meant to satisfy the agents that the seals are intact “and for their own records as well.”
She said this would be in addition to being allowed to take photographs of the completed SoRs that is produced at the end of the count.
“Those are the two things that the Commission decided on as it relates to the use of cell phones,” according to Ward.
Additionally, Ward told media operatives that an earlier decision by the Commission to not have any more ballot boxes opened after 17:00h has since been rescinded in part.
It was explained that because of the agreed sequential manner with which the ballot boxes were being counted, persons found that it would be difficult to complete some of the boxes that contain large amounts of ballots before the prescribed cut off time at 19:00h.
That cut off point had been put in place by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Task Force which has imposed a countrywide curfew.
Ward has since disclosed to media operatives that a decision was taken to have the counting stations be able to not adhere strictly to the sequential opening of the boxes and to be able to check the containers holding the boxes to search for one that is identified as containing a smaller number of votes.
This is in order to be able to complete the ballot box before the 19:00h cut off point since once a box is opened the counting cannot be stopped until that box is completed and the SoR generated.
Ward told reporters “while we will try to stick to that same 17:00h mark but you will narrow it down to make sure that we select a box that may have a small number of ballots.”
As such, the sequential criteria would be essentially suspended at 17:00h in order to break from the rules previously agreed to.
The GECOM PRO indicated that the counting stations would have to work out a modality on how they would go about selecting which box is to be opened at that 17:00h timeline, “so that it is completed by 19:00h.”
She said too that another of the decisions taken by the Commission was to have the observation reports being made during the recount process documented in language to reflect the reality of allegations being made without evidence.
Ward drew reference to reports and complaints by party agents related to accusations of dead or migrated persons that voted during the March 2 polls.
The GECOM PRO said that persons objected to the reports that had been articulated to sound as though the allegations being made were facts without the evidence being presented.
Another of the substantial decisions taken by the Commission during its meeting on Sunday is to have three party agents present in the tabulation centre for the tallying of the SoRs.