Scrutineers sometimes do more than just observe voting process

What do election scrutineers do and are they useful? John Neilson, a polling place manager, examines these questions.

In the Dunedin North electorate, only the Labour Party tends to use scrutineers for any real political gain.

Labour Party scrutineers meticulously record all the voters' page and line numbers as they come in to vote.

Labour Party "runners" pick up this information two or three times during the period of voting but finish anywhere between 2pm and 4pm.

The information goes back to the party headquarters to see who has not voted.

Party members then telephone potential Labour voters who have not voted in the electorate and remind them to do so. Transport may be offered.

This opportunity is available to all political parties.

The other political party scrutineers I have observed come in, hand over the official documentation to the polling place manager and sit down in the seats provided to the rear but in adequate hearing distance of the official marking off the voter's name and issuing the voting papers. After observing for an hour or so they leave. (Boredom?)

When I was a scrutineer - for the Labour Party, although I have never been a paid-up Labour Party member - before the advent of "easy vote", we were issued with a new electoral roll.

After each voter's name, page and line number were read out by the booth official, we crossed this off on our rolls.

Now scrutineers seem to just record on a blank page the page and line number as read out from the "easy vote" paper.

In one election I picked up four potential errors.

In one the wrong family member was about to be crossed off as having voted. I alerted the booth official by making a slight coughing noise. Later this official said she was very grateful for my bringing this to her attention.

The use of the printed easy vote paper has hopefully eliminated this kind of human error.

For the last election I worked at Sawyers Bay School.

The Labour Party scrutineer was present from opening to about 2pm.

The Green Party scrutineer left before noon.

No other party scrutineers showed up.

The public should welcome scrutineers of any party at the polling places.

The scrutineers' presence helps to sanctify the integrity of the ballot and the security of the individual's vote.

This is very different from postal voting as used in local government elections. The money paid to booth officials is for every aspect of their involvement.

I started on polling day at 7am and did not finish until after 10pm.

Included was at least three hours' training.

There were three visits to the electorate headquarters, and five telephone calls. There was at least two hours spent checking all the necessary forms were in the polling place boxes, and there was also making up ballot boxes and running a vehicle and a cellphone.

In my case the monetary reward is very much secondary to helping out in the community and meeting, albeit for only a few hours, a group of five hard-working, happy individuals who assisted me in the polling place.

I give great credence to the intelligence of the New Zealand voter to vote how they wish and not be influenced by such things as different coloured rosettes of an appropriate size with only the name of the party and not that of any candidate showing.

• John Neilson, of Ravensbourne, has been a polling place manager for the past two elections. He is also a former Chalmers Community Board member.