Press Release: Opening and Setting Up of Polling Stations for October 8, 2016 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia

ISFED Observation Mission consists of approximately 1,000 accredited and trained observers, including nearly 850 short-term observers, 73 district observers, and 70 mobile groups. Observers are deployed to precinct, district, and central election commissions throughout the country. ISFED's observation of the parliamentary elections is based on the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology, which enables the timely detection of violations, evaluation of the entire Election Day process, and verification of the accuracy of the official election results. The PVT uses statistics and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and ISFED has deployed 600 observers to a nationally representative sample of polling stations. According to ISFED observers, the opening and setting up process at the polling stations took place without significant issues. However, there were some minor problems, including 4.2% of polling stations not being ready to receive voters by 8:00 AM, compared to 8.8% in 2014 local elections and 1.3% in 2014 local elections. ISFED observers reported several cases of violations, including inaccurate filling of the ballot box control sheet, unauthorized persons present at the polling station, and campaigning at the polling station. ISFED observers have filed 14 complaints with Precinct Electoral Commissions (PECs) and 12 complaints with District Electoral Commissions (DECs). The organization has also built a sophisticated PVT database that processes the observers' texts and undergoes several quality control tests before being incorporated into ISFED's findings and conclusions. By 15:00, the voting process is taking place in a relatively organized manner, with a few significant violations reported. ISFED reminds voters to have one of the following documents to participate in the elections: a Georgian citizen ID, a passport of a citizen of Georgia, or a certificate of an ID card. ISFED calls upon all eligible voters in Georgia to go to the polls and express their free will by voting in favor of a candidate of their choice. The ISFED Observation Mission is made possible with the support of the American people, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the European Union, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).