Mauritius: Electoral staff

Extracted from: Rouikaya Kasenally 2009 "Chapter 8: Mauritius" IN Denis Kadima and Susan Booysen (eds) Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa 1989-2009: 20 Years of Multiparty Democracy, EISA, Johannesburg, 291-292.

Only officers working in the civil service can be recruited to serve as election officers, irrespective of their gender, provided that they have signified their willingness to serve as such, in response to circulars sent by the Electoral Commissioner's Office to all ministries and departments of the civil service, and that they can be released for the election period without disrupting the services concerned. Election officers are usually recruited on a 'residential' basis, i.e. priority of selection is given to officers residing in the vicinity of the polling stations and within the constituency concerned. This measure is aimed at facilitating the movement of the officers, reducing their transport costs and reducing the number of proxies (concerning election officers).

Due consideration is given to officers who have had previous election experience, especially for election posts requiring more responsibilities, such as presiding officers and above. No civil servant can be recruited as an election officer in a constituency if s/he is directly related to a candidate in that constituency, or if s/he is giving assistance to a candidate or political party. All election officers are also strongly advised to be impartial at all stages of the electoral process.

It is worth noting that in Mauritius a voting (polling) station is the equivalent of polling centre in other countries, and consists of several voting rooms where voters cast their ballots. The senior election officers, namely the returning officer, deputy returning officer and senior presiding officer (each being in charge of a polling station), have been recruited in the past almost exclusively from among male officers. The justification for this is that the persons appointed to these high election posts are exposed to certain physical 'risks' such as hot-tempered political agents, late-night polls, etc.

However, following representations made by woman civil servants and organisations against this gender discrimination, a few women were recruited to these 'high' election posts during the 2000 and 2005 general elections. At the last general election of 2005, there were four women returning officers out of a total of 21, and it is expected that this is likely to increase in future elections.

Following the computerisation of the services of the Electoral Commissioner's Office, a bank of potential election officers for all categories of election posts for each constituency has been constituted. The data collected includes the name, address, gender, age, employment status and election experience of each officer. This measure will enhance the recruitment of election staff in a more professional manner.

The senior election officers undergo an intensive training programme at regular intervals during the period between their appointment and Election Day. They are given written instructions on every aspect of their jobs. The junior election officers are required to attend a general staff meeting at which they are briefed on their respective duties, take their oath of secrecy and are made aware of the location of the respective polling station where they will be assigned. They also receive written instructions on their duties.

On the eve of poll, all the staff are expected to report at their respective polling stations for a 'refresher course' and for the finalisation of preparations for the poll.