Poles keen on vote counting

A number of municipalities have had to draw lots to determine who will take part in the ballot counting.

The Rzeczpospolita daily reports that the move comes as surprise, as local ballot counting stations were previously wary that there not be enough people would come forward to offer help, especially since the State Electoral Commission slashed daily rates for the job.

“These elections are less complicated than local polls, and parties which feel aggrieved by the autumn [regional elections] are now keeping a closer eye on [these elections],” Dr Rafał Chwedoruk from Warsaw University told the daily.

In Wrocław, the electoral committees of incumbent Bronisław Komorowski, as well as opposition candidates – Law and Justice’s Andrzej Duda and Magdalena Ogórek, backed by the Democratic Left Alliance – put forward 306 people to help with counting votes.

In total, 2,473 people from all 11 presidential committees applied for the ballot counting positions in the south-western city, although 57 were rejected in the initial selection.

However, the remaining 2,416 still provied too high a number, with a further 113 people being shaved off the list after a draw of lots.

In Kraków, a total number of 3,760 people applied for the ballot counting positions, while in Warsaw, as many as 6,948 people applied, with the district of Ursynów also having to draw lots to determine who would take part in the vote count.

The first round of the presidential elections takes place on 10 May. (jb)