A significant area for electoral reform is the nature and structure of the institutions engaged in electoral management or in delivering electoral services. These reforms may enhance the independence of the EMB – for example the creation of independent model EMBs in countries such as Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, and South Africa. Electoral responsibilities may be reassigned amongst existing and/or new bodies to promote better service delivery – as in New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK. In some cases, such as in Sweden, the suggestions for reform of electoral management were initiated by the EMB itself. In others, as in New Zealand and the UK, the reforms of electoral management were initiated by the government. Pressure from local civil society or international groups may also instigate reform of electoral management arrangements, as in Georgia and Liberia.

Reforms to electoral processes may have a broad effect on an EMB’s strategies, policies, and procedures – such as the introduction of a new electoral system. They may target key electoral issues such as electoral participation and representation, delimitation of electoral districts, voter registration, registration and oversight of political parties, and improving electoral integrity. They may target specific technical or technological aspects of the electoral process, such as introducing new procurement or employment processes, voter registration systems, or voting and vote-counting methods or systems. They may involve social policies, such as reducing a gender imbalance in representation, improving access to electoral processes for marginalized sectors of society, or improving the representativeness of the EMB’s own staff.

Electoral system reform, such as in Fiji, Indonesia, Lesotho, Liberia and New Zealand, is one of the most far-reaching reforms in election administration. It is often the result of a functional need, for example, of perceptions of an ‘unfairness’ in representation, or of government ineffectiveness or lack of responsiveness. In 2003, in Indonesia, the electoral system was changed from closed list proportional representation (PR) in very large electoral districts to open list PR in small electoral districts, in order to address perceived deficiencies in the links between voters and representatives, while maintaining the consensus nature of Indonesian governance. Electoral system reform places a substantial information responsibility on the EMB, and may require it to implement new methods of electoral district boundary delimitation, voting, and vote counting.

EMBs can play a significant role in reform of electoral district boundary delimitation: as advocates of more transparent and equitable boundary delimitation processes; in providing expert opinions on boundary delimitation issues; and in ensuring that they exercise any responsibilities for boundary delimitation impartially, equitably, and with integrity. Some electoral reforms have introduced multi-member districts, as this type of system, usually based on PR, can make electoral boundaries less of an influence on determining election results. Other reforms have required boundary delimitations based on ‘one person, one vote, one value’. Some reforms have attempted to make boundary delimitation processes more transparent and objective, such as by removing any role for the legislature in delimitation; having an independent body in charge of delimitation; and requiring open hearings and independent review of proposed boundaries.

The process of registering electors has attracted many efforts at modernization in both emerging and established democracies. Electoral registration determines the ability of eligible voters to participate in an election, and thus is a key ingredient in the fairness of an election. As it generally occurs well before Election Day, and often outside the direct scrutiny of observers (especially where electoral registers are derived from civil or population registers), the internal integrity of voter registration systems needs to be very high. Reforms have targeted increasing the efficiency as well as the integrity of voter registration processes.

Many EMBs have implemented systems to improve the inclusiveness, fairness, accuracy, and transparency of voter registration, such as providing for continuously updated voter registration, special registration provisions for transient voters, and safeguards against wrongful rejection of or removal from registration. EMBs and other agencies responsible for maintaining data from which voters registers are derived are improving the integrity of voter registers through better methods of checking the identity of qualified persons, and reducing data processing times, often using modern technological solutions. EMBs need to ensure that technological solutions for voter registration enjoy the trust of the citizens and are sustainable, especially in emerging democracies where EMBs may have uncertain levels of future financial support.

There have been significant reforms in the role played by EMBs in monitoring and regulating the activities of political parties. Some are the consequences of legal reforms targeted at providing a more level playing field for political competition – such as the administration of state funding of political parties and candidates’ election campaigns, and the qualifications for registration of parties and candidates to contest elections. Others have been targeted at improving oversight of campaign contributions and expenditure, and the internal democracy of political parties – such as oversight of candidate selection processes. Reforms to promote a level playing field for elections have also given some EMBs responsibilities to administer or monitor arrangements that require the media to allocate campaign advertising opportunities equitably.

A growing number of EMBs are introducing new voting methods. Brazil and India have introduced electronic voting machines (EVMs) with a view to replacing manual voting. Many of the issues that need to be considered in reforming electoral processes by introducing electronic voting are dealt with in the files on EMB Stakeholder Relationships and The Sustainability of EMBs.

There have significant efforts to make electoral participation more accessible. Access to voter registration has sometimes been opened to those out of country, of no fixed abode, or in prison. Access to polling has been widened for many people, through the introduction of in-person absentee or postal voting, including for voters out of country, and through providing special voting and voter information facilities for refugees, internally displaced persons, the disabled, the aged, and those in remote areas, in prison, or in hospital. EMBs have had to respond to all these reforms by introducing procedures and systems that enable the additional access while maintaining high integrity in the voter registration, voting, and counting processes.

Reform of electoral access has attempted in some countries to provide equity in access for specific societal groups and for women. EMBs can promote equitable access by insisting on it in their own staffing, for example by requiring gender balance in temporary staffing for polling stations, and using internal professional development programmes to ensure that women advance into EMB management positions.