Avoiding
Integrity Problems Related to Insufficient Funding
The following measures can
help deal with problems caused by lack of funds.
- Better planning. Plan longer in advance.
Set aside funds for contingencies and inflation. Set priorities. Study
opportunities for streamlining systems to raise efficiency and lower
costs.
- Give attention to
cost-effectiveness. Find ways of minimizing cost while maintaining effectiveness.
Electoral administrators should try to use locally produced materials
rather than expensive imports.
- Consider what the country
can afford. Elections organized in countries undergoing a transition often
receive foreign aid. This can lead to the adoption of electoral procedures
that are beyond the country’s means and that cannot be used in subsequent
elections without continued substantial foreign support. These countries
therefore need to seek alternatives to costly imported equipment and
develop affordable and sustainable systems.
- Diversify donor support. Countries that receive
foreign aid should diversify their funding sources so that they are not
dependent on only a few donors. This could help them avoid problems that
might be created by the timing of donor funding and the different
conditions that donors might impose on use of funds.
- Lobby for better funding. The electoral
policy-making and management bodies could lobby the appropriate
legislative offices and legislators for the support they need. Effective
lobbying includes providing information on the problem—where the funds are
needed, why they are needed and how they could make a difference.
Information should be as specific as possible to justify the request for
increased funding. The need for additional funding could be publicized in
the media to garner public support. Public interest groups could be
consulted and urged to join the lobbying activities.
- Streamline staff. Each employee should
have a job description, come to work every day and be productive.
