Article 32. The article grants the chairperson of an electoral council or bureau a weighted vote to break ties. Although deadlock should be avoided, giving the chairperson a weighted vote effectively gives tie-breaking power to the political party or coalition that controls the appointment process for these bodies. It is recommended that the principle of one person-one vote apply in the decision-making process in election commissions, regardless of whether there is a tie vote. It is also recommended that Article 32 be amended to provide that, where the electoral commission is deciding a request or complaint, if a decision is not approved by the necessary number of votes or if there is a tie vote, then the initial request that gave rise to the issue shall be considered denied, and this decision of denial is subject to any review provided by the complaint and appeal process. Obviously, however, some failures to make a decision, such as the declaration of results, cannot have a default rule and will require a decision by a superior election commission. The law should specifically identify the types of decisions that are not subject to the default rule and require a decision by a superior election commission.
