Election Day Polling Stations On 8 November 2020, 38 million voters were invited to cast their ballots in the first national polls since the historic transition of power to a democratically elected government in 2016. Despite the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, voters came out in large numbers to their polling stations, with a voter turnout estimated to be nearly as high as in the 2015 general elections. On Election Day, ANFREL observers visited a total of 225 polling stations across 13 of Myanmar’s states and regions to monitor voting operations. Election Day was found to be peaceful and orderly with no major reports of irregularities or incidents that may have led to voting disruptions or doubts over the integrity of the polling process. Classrooms and multi-purpose halls were the places most commonly used as polling stations on Election Day. The latter were especially suitable locations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as they could accommodate more voters, help with better crowd management, and provide good ventilation. Some of the classrooms used, however, were too small, which caused problems with social distancing and could even have compromised ballot secrecy. Additionally, a few polling stations visited by ANFREL were set up in Buddhist temples, which goes against UEC regulations. Most polling stations were ill-equipped to accommodate persons with disabilities (PWDs). 79% of locations visited by ANFREL observers would have been inaccessible to wheelchair users without outside assistance, as they offered no entrance ramps or the terrain was too uneven. Therefore, we invite the UEC to enhance polling station accessibility in the future. ANFREL observers noted that polling booth arrangements provided sufficient ballot secrecy the majority of the time, but there were instances where the polling booths would be set in front of open windows, which could have provided bystanders with a clear view of ballots being cast. However, some polling stations were simply not large enough to accommodate a sufficient distance between polling booths, which could have allowed voters to check on each other’s ballots. Election observers and agents of political parties or candidates were granted access to polling stations almost everywhere. Due to space limitations and social distancing regulations, a limited number of slots were allocated inside for observers, while some polling stations offered a designated space to observe voting procedures from the outside. There were isolated incidents of ANFREL observers being denied entry to a polling station for unknown motives, despite showing their credentials to the polling station officer in charge. We invite the UEC to address these shortcomings in the training of polling staff to ensure unhindered access to accredited election observers. 6