About
So that anyone can check how their polling station voted.
Bela golubica collects results directly from polling stations, from the records signed by polling boards, and shows them on the map on election night.
What the site is for
In elections, votes are counted at the polling station. The polling board writes the result into the record of its work, and that record is the basis for everything added up later. Bela golubica starts from the same document: people at the polling station photograph the record and enter the numbers from it, and the site adds them up and displays them.
The result is a count that runs in parallel with the official one. Its purpose is not to replace the official results but to make them verifiable: anyone can compare what was published with what the record from their polling station says.
What you will see here
On election day the Results page is an interactive map: results arrive live and can be viewed for the whole country, a province, a district, a municipality and a single polling station. Between elections the same page keeps the results of previous elections and the election night simulation.
- which list is leading and with what share of the votes,
- what the turnout is,
- a seat projection based on the results received so far,
- how many polling stations have reported by that moment, so it is always clear how much data the picture rests on.
Behind every number there is a piece of paper
A result is not taken on trust. The photograph of the record arrives with the numbers, and a person at the HQ compares it with the entered numbers before verifying the entry. The arithmetic check additionally verifies that the numbers in the record agree with each other, for example that the sum of all lists' votes equals the number of valid ballots.
Entries that failed the check, or differ from another entry from the same polling station, are clearly marked until resolved.
What the site is not
Not an official result. Official results are established and published by the competent electoral commission.
Not a poll or an estimate. There are no exit polls, samples or models here. Only counted votes from records are shown, from the polling stations that have reported a result by that moment.
Nobody's side
Organisations of different persuasions can use the site, so it must not lean to anyone's side. That is why Bela golubica has no colour of its own: on screen, colour carries meaning only, such as the colours of the electoral lists on the map or the mark of an error in a record.
How it works
The journey of one record, from the polling station to the map, in six steps. For the person at the polling station it is a few minutes' work on the phone already in their pocket.
The organisation deploys its people
Before the elections, the organisation's administrator enters the people who will be at the polling stations, as polling board members or observers, and assigns each their polling station.
Each organisation has its own HQ: coordinators by territory, verifiers who check entries and analysts who follow the results.
The personal link arrives for election day
Everyone gets their own link and PIN. Nothing is installed and there is no account or password: the link opens in the phone's browser and is valid for one polling station only.
The record is photographed
When the polling board has counted the votes and filled in the record, the first step is the photograph. The phone grades it itself (sharpness, light, glare) and, if it is poor, suggests taking it again, because a person at the HQ reads the photograph later.
The grade is only advice. If there is no signal, the numbers can be entered right away and the picture sent as soon as the signal returns.
Numbers are entered exactly as written
The numbers from the record are entered: registered voters, turnout, valid and invalid ballots, votes by list. An arithmetic check immediately verifies that they agree and sorts any errors into minor and major.
The check never blocks sending. What is written on paper is recorded, and any discrepancy is forwarded to the HQ for review.
The HQ compares the entry with the photograph
The verifier has the photograph of the record and the entered numbers in front of them. If they agree, the entry is verified; if not, it is corrected.
When two different entries arrive from the same polling station, the station is marked as disputed until the difference is resolved.
Results add up on the map
Every new record enters the tally immediately. The map is coloured by leading list, the share of a chosen list, turnout or how many polling stations have reported, and a click takes you from the country down to a single polling station.
A result always shows how many polling stations have reported, because a picture based on few stations can mislead.
Election observation
The more organisations take part, the more precise the results. Bela golubica can serve as a shared place for election observation: each organisation reports from the polling stations where it has its own people, and the picture becomes more complete with every new one.
The idea behind Bela golubica
Organisations and parties that want to follow the elections register and pay a licence for use. Each gets its own HQ and deploys its people to the polling stations it can cover.
None of them covers all polling stations alone. Together they cover much more, so everyone taking part gets more precise results than any one of them would have on its own.
Who can take part
Anyone who has people at polling stations on election day:
- political parties, coalitions and citizens' groups, through their polling board members,
- domestic and international observer organisations, through accredited observers,
- citizens' associations and local initiatives that follow elections in their community.
The organisation's persuasion does not matter. All that matters is that it reports what the record says and sends a photograph of it with the numbers.
Why more is better
More polling stations covered. There are several thousand polling stations and no organisation has people at all of them. Each covers its own part, and together they cover much more. The more stations that have reported, the closer the total is to the final one.
The same record from several sources. When two organisations, independently of each other, send the same numbers from the same polling station, that is stronger confirmation than any single check. When the numbers differ, it is immediately visible and it is clear exactly which station to look at.
A result that is harder to dispute. A number backed by organisations of different persuasions, each with its own photograph of the same record, does not depend on trust in any one of them.
Organisation 116 of 48 stations
Organisation 216 of 48 stations
Organisation 316 of 48 stations
Together34 of 48 stations
What an organisation gets
- its own HQ, with accounts for the administrator, coordinators, verifiers and analysts,
- personal links for its people at polling stations, with no app to install,
- a map and tables with live results, down to a single polling station,
- a review queue in which every entry is compared with the photograph of the record,
- an overview of records with arithmetic errors and polling stations with conflicting entries.
Each organisation's data is kept separately, in its own database. The names and contacts of its people are not shared with other organisations.
How to take part
Participation is under a licence paid by the organisation. Get in touch as early as possible before the elections. It takes time to open accounts, deploy people to polling stations and let everyone try the procedure once before election day.
Write to [email protected] or use the form on the contact page. State the name of the organisation and roughly how many polling stations you can cover.
Plan until the elections
What happens from an organisation signing up to the publication of results, and what is expected of whom. The steps follow the Republic Electoral Commission's deadlines for each election.
Steps
As soon as elections are called
Organisations sign up
An organisation that wants to take part gets in touch and agrees the terms. The earlier the better: it takes time to open accounts, assign people and hold a trial run.
Once polling stations are decided
Polling stations and HQ access
As soon as the Republic Electoral Commission publishes the decision on polling stations, all polling stations are in the system. Every registered organisation gets its own HQ and an administrator account.
Once the candidates are published
Candidates in the system
Once the consolidated list or the list of candidates is published, they are in the entry form and on the map, exactly as they appear on the ballot.
Two weeks before election day
Organisations deploy their people
Administrators enter reporters, polling board members and observers, by polling station, one by one or from a spreadsheet. Each organisation enters a test record from a real phone.
A week before election day
Dress rehearsal
All HQs go through the whole procedure together: entry, review, verification, correction from the photograph. After the rehearsal the system does not change until the elections.
The day before
Final checks
Last checks of access and lists. During the electoral silence nothing changes and nothing is sent to anyone.
Election day
Election night
Reporters enter the record with their link and PIN; entry opens at 8 pm, when the polls close. From then on the results on this site are visible to everyone as they arrive from polling stations; the HQs work all night.
The days after
Review and verification
HQs review and verify the entries and compare them with the photographs of the records. Official results are established and published by the Republic Electoral Commission; the results on this site are unofficial.
After the elections
Archive and the next elections
The results remain available as an archive and the system is prepared for the next elections. Organisations that took part keep their accounts.
What is expected of an organisation
- to sign up and get access to HQ as soon as elections are called,
- to enter its reporters by polling station two weeks before election day and send each of them their personal link,
- to take part in the dress rehearsal a week before election day,
- to have people at the HQ on election night who review and verify entries.
What is expected of a reporter
Nothing before election day except keeping the personal link their organisation sends them. On election day, once the votes are counted, they photograph the record and copy the numbers exactly as written. The whole procedure takes a few minutes and requires no installation.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most common questions about results, checking and participation.
Are these official results?
No. Official results are established and published by the competent electoral commission. Here are the numbers from polling station records, collected in parallel with the official procedure, precisely so that the official result can be checked.
Is this a poll or an estimate?
No. There are no exit polls, samples or statistical models. Only counted votes from polling stations that have reported are shown. That is why every result also shows how many polling stations have reported by that moment.
Who enters the results?
The people who are at the polling station on election day: polling board members and observers of the participating organisations. Each of them gets a personal link valid only for their polling station.
What if someone enters a wrong number?
The photograph of the record arrives with the numbers, and a verifier at the HQ compares them before verifying the entry. The arithmetic check verifies that the numbers agree with each other. If two different entries arrive from the same polling station, the station is marked as disputed until the difference is resolved.
What if the error is in the record itself?
What is written on paper is entered, even when the numbers do not agree. Such a record is marked as having a minor or major arithmetic error, so it is known that there is a problem that did not arise during entry.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Everything works in the phone's browser. Open the link, enter the PIN, photograph the record and type in the numbers. If there is no signal at the polling station, the entry is saved on the phone and sent as soon as the signal returns.
Why can results early on election night look different from the final ones?
Because smaller polling stations arrive first, where counting finishes sooner, and they do not vote the same way as large urban ones. The more stations that have reported, the closer the total is to the final one. For the same reason it matters that as many organisations as possible take part.
Is participation paid for?
Organisations and parties that take part pay a licence: for their HQ, accounts and links for their people at polling stations. The results map on the Results page is open to everyone.
Who owns the site and whose side is it on?
Nobody's. Organisations of different persuasions can use the site, which is why it has no colour or political symbol of its own. Each organisation's data is kept separately.