The requirements and demands on an EMB's results system have increased considerably. Stakeholders demand results significantly faster than they used to. In addition, they demand transparency during the entire results process and not just the vote count. Concerns over less than accessible transportation of critical count-related material by election management bodies, opaque tabulation procedures and tardy release of results have sometimes threatened the integrity of the vote count.
As a result, EMBs can no longer solely focus on the vote count. The EMB must now have an integrated results management system incorporating all key aspects from vote counting to the certified results being announced with relevant complaints having been properly adjudicated. In the end, each jurisdiction will need to consider best practices that suit its particular circumstances and context, and ensure that the fundamentals of a results process are maintained and that the integrity of the election is not compromised due to deficiencies in the various steps of a results process.
