Page 71 - Anatomy-of-a-Fraud

2. VOTE COUNTING

A. I Challenge, you challenge, he challenges

Article 30 of the Electoral Code provides that the returns from a precinct may
be declared null and void under certain circumstances, such as the violation of ballot
boxes, manifest tampering with the return tally sheets and other well-defined instances.
The motion to annul must be filed within the 24 hours following the “end of vote
counting at the precinct in question” and must be documented before the Electoral
Tribunal within the three days immediately after the elections. Challenged returns are
not included in the general vote counting until the Electoral Tribunal rules on the merits
of the challenges filed. It is a healthy measure, aimed at ensuring fair elections.

The UNADE, however, used the challenge privilege for precisely the opposite
purpose, as a means to adulterate the elections. The strategy was devised at the highest
levels of the pro-government alliance in the early hours of May 7, when preliminary
reports indicated that they had lost. It was then that, holding the popular will in utmost
contempt. They decided to instruct their representatives al District Boards to challenge
the returns from those precincts where Arias had won by a wide margin, thus voiding
thousands of votes from the Democratic Opposition Alliance.

To understand this strategy of massive and arbitrary challenges, it is necessary
to comprehend first the workings of the vote counting process.

Vote counting took place at three levels:

1). Precincts
2). Circuits Returns Boards
3). National Returns Board.

The make-up of the vote counting bodies at all three levels was identical:
three officials from the Electoral Tribunal (chairman, secretary and third member) and
their alternates, plus one representative from each of the 14 political parties running at
the elections and their alternates. Thus, each precinct, each Circuit Returns Board and
the National Returns Board was composed of a maximum of 17 people, plus their
respective alternates.

Electoral Tribunal officials oversaw administrative matters such as
moderating discussions, drawing up tally sheets, etc. Their members were entitled to
speak and to vote, except the chairman, who only had a casting vote. Considering party
alignment, pro-government forces enjoyed a majority of votes at all three levels.

Vote counting at the precinct level was fairly honest, at least in the major
urban areas (where frauds had been committed earlier and would be repeated later).
Ballot boxes were opened, votes were counted before all precinct members and returns
tally sheets were drawn up. The Electoral Code provides that official returns tally sheets