Ballot Adjudication Table Under Lamps Near Shiraz

Copper-toned light spills across a sturdy wooden table set up just outside a polling station entrance in Shiraz. Several thick binders with sealed plastic covers sit closed beside stacks of official paper ballots. Two adjustable magnifying lamps with flexible necks angle over the documents, their glass shades reflecting the warm glow. The heavy overcast sky above diffuses the late spring afternoon sun, casting soft, even shadows across the concrete pavement. Metal legs of the table anchor the setup firmly against the wind. A red ribbon tied to a binder handle hangs loosely. The edge of a blue plastic chair rests against the table leg, at the base of the civic activity in a quiet, tense moment before the evening fully sets in.