The Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan” endows several subjects of election process, in particular, the presidential candidates’ representatives, observers and mass media representatives with the functions of long-term observers.
Article 20-1 of the Constitutional Law “On Elections” provides for the open procedure of the conduct of elections. A special role in ensuring openness is allocated to observers: “Candidates’ representatives, observers, mass media representatives may be present at all stages of election process, and receive any information from election commissions about the election process». The present recommendations are elaborated according to main principles and commitments to implement the right of democratic election.
The designed solution AIS “Sailau”, created and implemented in Kazakhstan, fully complies with the mainframe principles of the Constitution, electoral legislation of our country and requirements of the European Union for e-voting systems.
The main element of the AIS “Sailau” is a hardware- and software-based system at a precinct that in full measure carries out the voting process and counting of votes and also provides printed and electronic documents, signed by the election commissions’ members.
The actions of the experts that service the hardware- and software-based AIS “Sailau”, and the actions of databases’ administrators are strictly regulated and registered in the Registration Certificate and technological instructions.
The observers are recommended at all stages of the e-voting to control the actions of the experts and also of the members of election commissions that will be present at the precincts in order:
    -not to permit the actions that could disrupt the work of electronic equipment (cutting off of power supply,      unhooking of cables, opening of the body, hookup of foreign devices)
    -to observe the voting technology (voters’ registration, activation of e-cards, reading of the results)
    -to check observance the law in case of arguable situations with the electors (manual registration).
In order to avoid the conflicts, the observers need to assume the obligations that are written in the Constitutional Law “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, including non-interference with the administration procedure of the Automated Information System “Sailau”.
The candidates’ representatives, observers, mass media representatives are obliged to advance the remarks based upon the documented, actual and examinable facts.
Observers may be present at all areas of system functioning, down to the servers that are placed at Central Election Commission.
The possibilities for examination of credibility of AIS “Sailau”
The representatives of the organizations, wishing to verify the credibility of the system, may choose any precinct without prior notification of Central Election Commission.
The representatives of public organizations and of mass media may be invited to the chosen precinct for the purpose of providing for maximal transparency of the conduct of election and increasing trust in the action.
In this precinct the electors may be offered to inquire about the checking codes and after casting the vote to check the results on the printed protocols. (Checking codes are generated accidentally and become a part of voting data, not of the elector’s data. They are not related to an elector, personal information for this purpose is not required, thereupon, the secrecy of ballot is not violated. With the help of this code one might become convinced, that he voted for this or for the other candidate).
Among those who have cast a vote anonymous exit poll may be conducted.
Upon the end of voting and checking of results at the precinct, the observers may attend the higher election commissions and verify the summarized protocols of e-voting with the data of this precinct, entered in the oblast or central server.