Guidelines to Assist National Minority Participation in the Electoral Process • Page: 42 Provision of Polling Stations and Composition of Election Commissions STOs should report on the convenience of polling stations for national minorities. For example, were polling stations situated in a location which made it impossible to vote without undue hindrance and without having to travel excessive distances. STOs should also have a sense of the composition of election commissions, and to what extent they reflected the local community. VII. • REPORTING ON NATIONAL MINORITY ISSUES NAM Report The NAM report should include a specific section on national minorities if there are serious concerns that require highlighting. This is important as it raises issues that can then be incorporated into the EOM analytical framework, including the deployment of observers to the areas at issue. • Internal Mission Reports: Weekly Report / LTO Reports / STO Reports As outlined above, LTOs will report on issues of concern for national minorities. Main issues can also be raised in the EOM weekly reports to the ODIHR Election Section. STOs can report both through the regular report forms and during the LTO de-briefing, which will focus on region-specific information. ��� Press Statement and Preliminary Findings and Conclusions If there are any important concerns during the EOM, these can be included in the post-election press statement and preliminary findings and conclusions. • Final Report / Annex Issues and concerns regarding national minorities should also be raised in the ODIHR final report on a given election. If there are significant issues regarding national minorities then a more lengthy annex to the final report can be considered. This will allow more scope for a discussion of the issues. • Special Minorities Report See below. VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE EOMs • National Minority Focal Point An expert in the EOM, probably the Political Analyst, should be the national minorities Focal Point.