Form 34A records presidential results at a polling station, Form 34B brings together the results for a constituency, and Form 34C records the national presidential tally. Together, they provide a documentary trail showing how votes counted locally contribute to the national result.
Understanding the difference helps voters follow election results, check figures shared online and distinguish a polling-station result from the national outcome.
What is Form 34A?
Form 34A is the presidential election result form completed by the presiding officer at a polling station after counting. It records the votes received by each presidential candidate at that station.
The presiding officer signs it, and candidates’ or political parties’ agents present are asked to sign. The recorded results then feed into the subsequent tallying process.
For a voter, the important distinction is its scope: Form 34A covers a particular polling station. A candidate leading on one form has received more votes at that station, but that alone cannot establish who is winning nationally.
What is Form 34B?
Form 34B brings together the presidential results from polling stations within a constituency.
The constituency returning officer collates the polling-station returns and records the constituency figures. Those totals should be traceable to the underlying Forms 34A.
For example, suppose a hypothetical constituency has three polling stations where a candidate receives 120, 180 and 200 votes. That candidate’s constituency total should be 500 votes.
This illustration shows why checking a constituency tally requires looking at the polling-station results behind it.
What is Form 34C?
Form 34C records the national presidential tally.
At the national tallying centre, verification includes checking constituency Forms 34B against their original polling-station Forms 34A. IEBC’s published procedure also provides for collating Form 34C and confirming whether the constitutional winning threshold has been met.
The purpose is to ensure that the national tally is supported by the results recorded earlier in the process.
What is the difference between the three forms?
| Form | Level | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 34A | Polling station | Records presidential votes counted at that station |
| 34B | Constituency | Brings together presidential polling-station results within the constituency |
| 34C | National | Records the national presidential tally following verification |
These three forms concern the presidential election. Other elective positions have their own prescribed results forms.
Where can voters find the official forms?
IEBC provides an official results-forms portal, with filters for election date, elective position and form type.
Check which election a document belongs to before sharing it. An authentic form from an earlier election does not establish a result in a later one.
For a useful first check, confirm:
- The election date and presidential contest.
- The polling station or constituency identified.
- The candidate’s name and vote figure.
- Whether the image shows the complete, readable document.
A cropped screenshot can leave out information needed to understand a result.
Can you declare a winner by adding up forms online?
Anyone following published forms can calculate a running total. However, a tally based on only some returns cannot establish the final national outcome.
Readers should check which stations or constituencies are included and which remain outstanding. Comparing two totals compiled from different sets of forms can be misleading.
The official process includes verification, completion of the national tally and a public declaration. It also distinguishes Form 34C, the national tally, from Form 34D, the certificate issued to the person elected President.
