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Chapter 4 – Activities at the AARO's office (04/2023)

Note:
For more information on AARO matters, consult:
Volume I, Chapter 11 – Additional Assistant Returning Officer

On polling night, the AARO must be prepared for the arrival of material sent/transferred from the polling stations to the secure area in his office. Refer to C6 Polling night in the AARO's office.

These materials must then be sent/transferred to your office and held in a secure location.

4.1 Sending/transferring essential documents

Note:
For more information on the sending/transferring process including materials from ESP offices, consult the Service Point Supervisor Manual (EC 40231), Module 8 Shipping Local OEs and Materials from the AARO Office or ESP to the RO Office.

4.1.1 On day – 1

The following essential materials must be processed, and the AARO must send/transfer them to the secure area in your office:

  • All Office Document Bags (EC 50390) containing all the completed forms and certificates from the polling places:
    • Qualification Forms (EC 50034)
    • Helper Forms (EC 50036)
    • Correction Forms (EC 50049)
    • Registration Certificates (EC 50050)
    • Voting Status Certificates (EC 50051)
    • Vouching Forms (EC 50055)
    • Transfer Certificates (EC 50052)
  • All Envelope: Statement of the Vote (EC 50370) containing the white copy of the signed Statement of the Vote (EC 50100)
  • All Envelopes: Sequence Number Sheets (EC 50385) containing the completed sequence number sheets (EC 50111)
  • Any completed transfer certificate registers (EC 50057) prepared by the AARO
  • The alphabetical lists of electors by polling site (used by registration officers and information officers) included in the Large All-Purpose Envelope (EC 11520)
  • The sealed ballot boxes (EC 50250) sent/transferred from each polling station in the AARO's designated area
  • The Polling Place Log (EC 50358) containing the transfer certificate registers, the Organizing the Return of Materials checklist, and other items

4.1.2 As soon as possible

The following must be data entered in the AARO office, unless otherwise directed by you, and then items sent/transferred to your office:

  • Completed registration certificates (EC 50050) and corrections forms (EC 50049) for each polling station in the AARO's designated area
  • The registrations and corrections need to be integrated into the list of electors as soon as possible after the close of polls; you may choose to use service agents in the AARO office as data entry clerks to enter the registration certificates and correction forms in REVISE after polling day

4.1.3 Before closing out the AARO office (day –3 to –5)

The following items must be sent/transferred from the AARO to your office as soon as possible:

  • VIC Collection Bag (EC 50256)
  • Completed Feedback on Accessibility and Voter Experience Form Envelope (EC 50122) containing the completed feedback on accessibility and voter experience forms (EC 50119) and the incident report forms (EC 10051)
  • Envelope: Candidate Representative Documents (EC 50423)
  • Transport Bag (EC 50253)
  • Hand-held magnifier (with light) (EC 50285)
  • completed Kilometer Logs (EC 11700) from poll workers
  • completed timesheets for the election worker (EC 11655)
  • if necessary, receipts for cellular phone rentals for some poll workers

Once all the materials are forwarded to you, the AARO will continue closing out his office on Day –3 to –5, or as soon as possible thereafter.

C6 Polling night in the AARO's office
Have on hand
TheChecklist for Return of Election Materials (EC 11500). To ensure proper arrival of all material, prepare the checklist by entering each polling station number from where the material will arrive. ❒
Set up
An area for receiving election materials by polling station, and tracking the arrival of election materials using the Checklist EC 11500 ❒
A secure area to store the ballot boxes ❒
Tables for receiving poll materials from election workers ❒
A troubleshooting area to deal with problems that may occur ❒
Boxes on tables for receiving and storing each item detailed in the Checklist (EC 11500) and/or provide them to the appropriate staff ❒
Retain staff
To maintain order in the AARO office for the entire day and evening until the close of the office (security guard) ❒
To accept ballot boxes, sort them and store them securely in preparation for validation ❒
To accept, sort and store material as it comes in from the polling stations to ensure that all ballot boxes and election material are arrived, prepare multiple copies of theChecklist for Return of Election Materials [from polls to RO office] (EC 11500) for additional handling areas as needed ❒
To deal with any problems in the troubleshooting area ❒

Some of the materials received at the AARO office must be sorted and sent to the RO office for secure storage as soon as possible (Day –1).

For more details on how to prioritize the various documents for return to the RO, refer to section 4.1 Sending/transferring essential documents .

4.2 Post-polling aay data capture

Give Registration Certificates (EC 50050) and the Correction Forms (EC 50049) for each polling station in the AARO's designated area to the SCSOs so they may enter them into REVISE. Ensure proper local and national searches are done before electors are added.

Enter the completed Polling Place Suitability Checklist (EC 12152) on the Field Personnel Intranet. Once data capture is complete, the AARO continues closing out the office.

4.3 Sending/transferring remaining documents

The documents below must be sent/transferred to your office once data capture of the polling day registrations and corrections is complete.

  • completed timesheets for the election workers (EC 11655)
  • completed Polling Place Suitability Checklist (EC 12152)
  • if necessary, receipts for cellular phone rentals for some poll workers
  • any material requiring shredding

4.4 Returning equipment and supplies

4.4.1 Computers and peripherals

The following steps must occur for the return of IBM equipment:

  1. After the event, the contractor will contact the AARO to set up an estimated de-installation date to remove the equipment.
  2. Before the de-installation, the AARO will perform a purging routine on each of the three workstations to remove all electoral data from the computers. The AARO must check with you before purging the data on the workstations.
  3. The AARO must sign the contractor's form to confirm that the de-installation procedure is complete.
  4. Canada Post will contact the AARO after the contractor contacts them, to confirm that the equipment is ready to be picked up and to schedule an appointment.

Returning PPE supplies

To return unused or reusable PPE supplies:

  1. The AARO is to follow the same instructions as outlined in section 3.5.3 – Lot PPE.
  2. Canada Post will pick up unused or reusable PPE supplies from each AARO (the equivalent of one or two monotainers). This will happen at the same pick-up date and time as arranged for the IBM equipment.
  3. No other supplies must be added to these monotainers. Everything else must transit as usual through the RO office.

4.4.2 Filling and sealing monotainers

Boxes and packages are placed in monotainers by Canada Post employees. The extra monotainer covers must be placed in one of the monotainers and returned with the same shipment.

To prevent boxes and packages from being separated in transit, the AARO must seal each monotainer using the following materials. These materials will have been shipped to the AARO separately in Lot 28-A, shortly before or after polling day:

  • Monotainer Covers with EC Logo (EC 10905)
  • Canada Post Monotainer Return Tag (EC 10910)
  • Nylon Ties (EC 00015)

Once a monotainer is full:

  1. Place a cover on top.
  2. Secure it with the nylon ties.
  3. Secure a return tag on each one using a nylon tie.

Report on the Return of Election Material

The Report on the Return of Election Material (EC 10018) must be filled. Once completed, email it to the FSN (How to reach us) as soon as Canada Post has picked up the monotainers from your AARO office(s).

The Canada Post employees are responsible for loading the boxes within the monotainers. Out of safety and liability concerns, no other person shall attempt to help them with this task.

You are to communicate with the Canada Post representative immediately to resolve any issues with the pick-up; or, in their absence, with the FSN.

4.4.3 Telephony wireline equipment

After the event, the AARO office must pack up the wireline equipment using the original shipment boxes and return the wireline equipment kit to your office using the EC e-waybill. Wireline equipment includes:

  • 1 ADSL/DSL or fibre-wired model and cable
  • 1 emergency phone set
  • 4 VoIP desk phones – VVX311 with 4 power adapters, 4 headsets, and 4 10-ft. Cat-5E cables

4.4.4 Rented furniture and equipment

The AARO must return any rented furniture and/or equipment (e.g. photocopier) prior to closing the AARO office.

4.4.5 Election materials

The AARO must also send/transfer to you (possibly in a separate shipment) the following items:

  • VICs, removed from the boxes and prepared for shipment to ECHQ for shredding
  • VIC collection bags (EC 50256), emptied and compacted into one parcel for recycling
  • Unused office supplies, accompanied by the duly completed inventory form
  • Reconciliation of petty cash with accompanying receipts
  • Audiovisual equipment provided by your office (e.g. television, screen, projector), if any

Once all EC supplies are sent/transferred to the RO, the AARO must confirm the closing-out of the office by calling the RO with the tracking number details.