War Room Manual

The first 72 hours after polls close decide what you can prove.

In a technology-run election, the first 72 hours after polls close decide what a campaign can later prove. Machines can be reconfigured, portal records can change and witnesses scatter. The 2023 elections showed how quickly the primary evidence can move out of reach once that window closes.

The War Room Manual sets out a 72-hour evidence protocol for campaign war rooms. It explains how to organise the room, who does what, and how to capture, log and preserve evidence from polling units, agents, observers and the IReV results portal while it still exists.

Drawing on Weaponising Elections, the manual shows how to build a chain of custody that will stand up later, how to document claims of communication failure as they arise, and how to prepare the ground for an inspection application under Section 149 of the Electoral Act 2026 within the 21-day petition window.

It covers staffing, data flows, escalation, verification of social-media claims and coordination with your legal team, with checklists for each phase from polling day to the decision whether to petition.

Use it to design your war room before the election and to train the people who will staff it. It pairs with the OSINT Verification Guide and the Election Data Protection Toolkit.

Court processes are prepared and filed by your instructed counsel.

Tags: war room, evidence preservation, 72 hours, election petitions, BVAS

For: Campaign war rooms, party situation rooms, legal teams

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