Electoral Systems

Each type of electoral system raises different political, social, and financial sustainability issues. The type of electoral system used will have a critical impact on boundary delimitation and voter registration processes, voter education and information requirements, ballot paper design and production, the number of polling days, and the need for by-elections. These issues are examined in detail in the ES topic area. For example, systems based on small electoral districts, requiring specific boundary delimitation processes, separate ballot papers for each district, high precision in voter registration and electoral fraud prevention, and an EMB administrative structure that is capable of dealing with each electoral district as a distinctive unit, may be more costly. On the other hand, large multi-member electoral districts may involve complex and expensive vote-counting systems, may be unwieldy for an EMB to manage accurately and transparently, and may attract higher transport and other logistics costs. Proponents of each type of electoral system advance social and political sustainability arguments in their favour which need to be examined carefully against specific country conditions.

Electoral Boundary Delimitation

The frequency and form of electoral boundary delimitation processes may be reviewed to improve sustainability. Using the EMB to conduct boundary delimitation can eliminate the costs of a separate boundary delimitation body; on the other hand, if the government maintains a mapping office for other purposes, it may not be necessary for the EMB to duplicate that capability. Simple electronic mapping and population databases for determining electoral district boundaries, and streamlined review processes and periods, can be used to reduce costs. The adoption of multi-member electoral districts based on existing administrative boundaries can drastically reduce or even eliminate boundary delimitation costs. However boundary delimitation is a politically sensitive issue, and needs also to be implemented in a politically sustainable manner.

Voter Registration

The cost of compiling and maintaining the voters register can be significantly affected by the system used and its components. The method of data collection can have significant effects on both costs and accuracy – and hence political sustainability – of the voters register. For example, whether data is specifically collected for voter registration or extracted from an existing database; whether by continuous registration, or by a national census-style exercise before an election; whether passive (the EMB contacting voters) or active (voters having to contact the EMB); whether special voter ID cards are issued, or not; and what opportunities are provided for electors to challenge alleged inaccuracies on the voters register. The use of technology in voter registration - such as in recording elector identity data such as thumb prints and photographs, the use of bar coded documents, database matching to update registration records, or in the production of voters registers - will also have significant cost implications.

Maintaining accurate voter registers is a costly task. Each EMB needs to determine which voter registration checks are necessary, and which, given levels of public trust and polling fraud controls, may be redundant and can be eliminated, thus saving costs. Comparison of data on the voters register with information from other government agencies can assist in maintaining the voters register cost-effectively, although it may raise concerns over data privacy. If the electoral register can be derived from a reliable and politically acceptable national civil registration database, as in Senegal and Sweden, or if births and deaths records are computerised and accessible to the EMB, costs can be cut significantly. Continuous voter registration may, in the long run, be another measure to cut down costs.

The Polling Process

The preparation for and conduct of polling at a general election or referendum in any country is a significant national event, requiring a considerable budget to be implemented effectively. Careful assessment of how many polling stations, staff, and associated materials are necessary for each election can help reduce costs. If security, integrity, and effective service levels can be assured, polling stations in higher population density areas could be amalgamated, providing significant cost savings. Improved allocations of duties to staff, polling station layouts, and staff training may allow a decrease in the ratio of polling station staff to voters without reducing service levels. Countries which conduct polling over two days may also consider whether sufficient hours on a single day would cut costs. Any proposed reductions in voting days or hours need to be considered against patterns of working hours, so as not to exclude any class of electors from voting.

Improving voter access and extending common facilities to voters, such as postal voting (as in Australia and Spain), external voting, and the provision of special services for voting in prisons, ships, and hospitals, has obliged EMBs to offer relatively higher-cost services to electors. These activities, particularly if they involve large-scale absentee voting for refugees or others as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and Iraq, may be a burden on the financial sustainability of electoral processes. Increases in election costs need, however, to be weighed against the EMB’s social responsibilities, and the additional political legitimacy gained through enabling these voters to use their franchise.

Training EMB staff can be expensive, and is often a cost that governments or EMBs see as a relatively painless cut when reviewing election budgets. Inadequate training is, however, likely to result in greater financial and political costs through poor staff performance - perhaps affecting the credibility of the electoral process - and have a long-term effect on the reputation and sustainability of the EMB.