- 📄 Valid DPI + active TSE registration
- 🎓 Know how to read and write (literate)
- 📅 Confirmed availability for training + election day 10-14 hours
- 📍 Know the voting center near your home (you will serve there)
The polling station fiscal is a volunteer citizen who integrates a Vote Receiving Board (JRV) — the table where votes are received, overseen and counted on election day. Each voting center has several JRVs (one per ~600 voters), and each JRV is integrated by 4-5 TSE fiscales plus political party representatives as observers. Without fiscales there are no elections — they are the direct guardians of the vote.
Summary: It is free (civic volunteering), requires valid DPI + voter registration + literacy + 18 years, you receive 1-2 days training and work 10-14 hours on election day. You receive an official certificate of civic service.
Being a polling station fiscal is one of the most concrete civic acts a citizen can do in Guatemala. The integrity of the vote depends on the quality of the fiscales.
What is a Vote Receiving Board (JRV)?
The JRV is the basic operational unit of the electoral process. Each voting station is a JRV. It is composed of:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| JRV President | Conducts the process, resolves incidents, signs all minutes |
| Secretary | Keeps the roll, marks voters, drafts minutes |
| Vocals (2-3) | Verify DPI, hand out ballots, seal urns |
| Substitute | Replaces a member if absent |
| Party fiscales (external observers) | Oversee from their party but DO NOT integrate the JRV |
| National/international observers | Accompany without intervening |
TSE fiscales are the JRV members — not the party fiscales. They are directly responsible for the process being correct.
Requirements to be a TSE fiscal
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Guatemalan citizenship | With valid DPI |
| Over 18 years old | Completed by election day |
| Registered with TSE | Active roll — verify at consultaempadronamiento.tse.org.gt |
| Literate | Read and write — to fill minutes and ballots |
| Full civil rights | Not disqualified by final sentence |
| Not a candidate | For any elected office in the same election |
| Not active-duty military/police | LEPP excludes these persons |
| Availability | For 1-2 days training + 10-14 hours election day |
Step by step — from registration to election day
Step 1: Sign up as a TSE fiscal volunteer
Registration opens ~3-4 months before the election (projected: March-April 2027). There are two paths:
- Online: at the TSE portal (tse.org.gt/fiscalizacion) when the official call is enabled
- In person: at any departmental TSE delegation — bring DPI and registration certificate
You fill out a form with your data, declare your availability and sign a training commitment.
Step 2: Wait for confirmation + assignment
TSE selects and assigns fiscales based on need by voting center. You receive notification (by email, SMS or call) confirming:
- Your specific role (president, secretary, vocal, substitute)
- Assigned voting center and JRV
- Date, time and place of mandatory training
Step 3: Mandatory training
Training is 1-2 intensive days (4-8 hours total). It is usually held:
- 30-45 days before the first round
- At TSE departmental venues or large university/school auditoriums
- With official TSE printed material (JRV manual)
They teach you:
- Complete JRV opening, voting and closing procedure
- How to verify DPI and electoral roll
- How to hand out ballots and handle urns
- How to count votes transparently
- How to fill installation, count and closing minutes
- How to handle incidents (voters not found, damaged ballots, conflicts)
- Dispute resolution with party fiscales
- Chain of custody of electoral material
If you do not attend training, you lose the role and the substitute is called.
Step 4: Election day — prior preparation (week before)
Days before the election:
- Confirm your final assignment
- Verify the exact address of the voting center
- Plan transportation (you will be there 13-14 hours)
- Buy/prepare snacks for the day
- Charge phone battery + bring extra battery
- Tell your boss/family that day you will be out all day
Step 5: Election day — minute by minute
| Hour | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5:30 AM | Arrival at voting center. ID with TSE coordinator |
| 6:00-7:00 AM | JRV installation with your colleagues. Verification of electoral material (urns, ballots, printed roll, pencils, seals). Installation minute |
| 7:00 AM | Official opening — first voter |
| 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM | Vote reception for 11 hours. You verify DPI, mark roll, hand out ballot, voter deposits in urn, you mark finger with ink |
| 6:00 PM | Official closing — last voter in line inside votes; those who did not enter, do not vote |
| 6:00 - 10:00 PM | Vote counting in the presence of party fiscales and observers. Count minute filled |
| 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM | Material and minutes delivery to TSE. Certificate signing |
Real total: 17-19 hours. Bring food and prepare mentally.
Step 6: Receive certificate and recognition
Days after the election, you receive an official certificate signed by TSE of having served as fiscal. This certificate:
- Serves as a civic document (some employers value it)
- Demonstrates your democratic participation
- In some cases (public function, honorary positions) adds points
Cost and time
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Volunteer registration | Free (Q0) |
| TSE training | Free (Q0) — included + material |
| Election day | Free (volunteer, no salary) |
| Election day refreshment | Provided by TSE (typically lunch + water) |
| Civic service certificate | Free, days after the election |
| Total time committed | ~20-25 hours (1-2 days training + 17-19 hours election day) |
NEVER pay to be a TSE polling station fiscal. Registration and training are completely free. Paid party fiscales are a different figure (paid by their party, not by TSE).
Common mistakes
- Assuming you will receive salary — TSE fiscales are volunteers. If you want a paid role, you would have to contact political parties to be a party fiscal (not TSE).
- Not attending training — if you miss it, you lose the role and they call the substitute. Training is mandatory without exceptions.
- Arriving late on election day — you must arrive at 5:30 AM. If you do not arrive at opening (7:00 AM), they replace you.
- Not bringing food or water — election day is 13-14 hours. The TSE refreshment may not be enough. Bring your own food.
Related procedures
- TSE Hub — all Supreme Electoral Tribunal procedures
- TSE Voter Registration — prior requirement to be fiscal
- Electoral Roll Lookup — verify your enrollment
- Migrant Vote from the USA — for diaspora (does not apply to fiscales)
- Electoral Address Change — if you moved and want to be fiscal in new municipality
- Get a DPI — without DPI you cannot be fiscal
- Guatemala Passport — complementary document
- RENAP Hub — DPI issuer
- Guatemalan Consulates — for diaspora (does not apply to internal fiscales)
- MINEX Apostille — document authentication
Official links
- TSE — Oversight
- TSE — Institutional Portal
- TSE — Citizens Registry
- TSE — Voter Registration Lookup
- TSE information line: 1580 (free)
- Email: unidaddeinformacion@tse.org.gt
May 2026 note: the official call for polling station fiscales for the 2027 General Elections will open ~3-4 months before the election (estimated February-March 2027). Meanwhile, you can express interest by contacting your departmental TSE delegation. Some TSE web services are temporarily suspended due to the response to the 2023 cyber attack, but physical delegations operate normally.