Despite the axiom that 'you can't put a price on democracy', making democratic elections more sustainable is a principle to be embraced by all EMBs. The need for cost reductions in elections results from the rising costs of election goods and services - including the use of new technologies, dwindling public sector budgets, the increasing frequency of elections for different levels of political institutions, and also the tough competition among poorer countries to access international donor funding. The euphoria surrounding a successful, well-funded transitional election needs to be tempered by the reality that similar levels of funding may not be available for future elections.