While
the use of manually counted paper ballots is still the most common method of
voting, automated methods of voting and vote counting are becoming more
accessible and effective, and more countries are opting to use them. Automated
technology can be cheaper, faster, and more accurate than manual counting. It
can also improve the democratic process by making the counting of complex
electoral systems easier to use.
Technological
approaches can be used to replace traditional paper ballots. Voting directly
using mechanical or electronic devices, or using machine-readable ballots, can
eliminate the need to count ballots manually and greatly speed up the counting
process, as well as ensuring and increasing accuracy.
Before
deciding to implement a computerized voting and/or counting system, an
electoral management body might consider these questions:
- Is it difficult to recruit qualified voting station
and/or counting staff?
- Have there been problems with irregular vote counts?
- Is there a need to reduce the number of election workers?
- Is the ballot becoming more complex?
- Is the vote count coming in too slowly?
- Do voters have to wait too long to cast their ballot?
If the answer is yes to most of these questions, it may be worth
studying the costs and benefits of a machine based voting system. However, the
following drawbacks should also be considered:
- The cost of acquiring the hardware, software, and
technical support needed for machine-based voting may be prohibitive.
- Election officials and voters will need specific training
programmes on the use of the system/machine.
- Technological support will be required for every
electoral event, and may come only from the system vendor, possibly from
outside the country and at high cost.
- As paper ballots are no longer used in the voting
process, voter’s and candidate’s confidence in the system may decrease.
- Absentee ballots may still need a separate voting and
counting system.
- Maintenance and storage costs may be onerous.
- Voting technology is still evolving rapidly and any
system purchased may be obsolete within a few years.
Environmental factors, such as humidity, may not allow
machines to operate properly.
(For further information see Elections and Technology)
Using Technology to Assist Manual Vote Counting
Computing technology is often used to count the
results of manual ballot counts, to produce summaries at the counting centre,
and regional, or national level. Standard off-the-shelf office software
products, such as spreadsheet or relational database software, can be used to
aggregate individual counts and produce summary totals and various reports,
either in paper or electronic format. Computer vote counting systems require
care to function correctly. Faulty calculations, data entry errors, or loss of
data can seriously compromise the conduct of an election.
Rigorous testing is necessary to ensure electronic
election systems work flawlessly before they are placed in production, even if
they are to be used only to compile preliminary results, or used only for a
short time. It is precisely because electronic voting systems are used on a
single day that they must be exhaustively tested. By contrast, voter
registration exercises typically run for 30 or 60 days and offer some
opportunity for mitigation of issues that arise (for example - software updates
in the field or modifications of processes notified by bulletin).
Data entry forms should be designed to minimize errors
and to facilitate the data entry process. It is common practice to design data
input forms so that they mirror the data entry screen. Training of persons who
manually complete these forms must stress the importance of legibility and
arithmetic accuracy.
As with any vote counting process, it is crucial that
checks and balances be built into any computerized counting system. Clear audit
trails should be in place to track the progress of the count. Balancing figures
should be used to check that output results are consistent with inputs. For
example, it should not be possible to calculate a total vote figure for any
level of counting that is higher than the number of ballot papers issued to
voters at that level, or at least the system should flag this anomaly for
investigation by the EMB or other certifying authority.
Data entered into a computerized vote counting system
should always be checked against the original input data. This can be done
after the data has been imputed, by checking this data against the input documents,
or by entering each set of data twice, using different operators to produce a
parallel count.
Contingency
plans should also be built into any computerized vote counting system. Data
should be regularly backed up (and stored off-site if the counting proceeds for
some time). Spare hardware should be available in case of hardware failure.
Where
budgets allow, disaster recovery sites, where core election information systems
can be up and running quickly, in the event of a total loss of the main EMB
site can be considered. IT support staff should be on hand if problems arise.
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and long duty-cycle standby generators
with adequate fuel should be available to guard against power failure, even in
the most developed countries.
Power
supplies should be protected against power surges that can corrupt or destroy
computer files. Even simple steps, such as regularly saving live data from RAM
memory to hard disk, are sometimes overlooked, and can cause serious problems.
Worst-case
scenarios should also be anticipated. It is wise to be able to switch to a
completely manual operation if the computer system fails and cannot be
recovered. Portable calculators are valuable emergency devices.
Technology for Voting and Counting Processes
Over
the last thirty years, various voting machines have been developed using the
available technology. In the 1950s and 1960s, punch-card machine systems were
developed. Voters should punch cards (with a supplied punch device) opposite
the candidates' names they selected. The cards were placed into a sealed ballot
box and, after the close of voting, tabulated by card counters.
In the
1970s, optical-scanners or Optical Mark Reading (OMR) systems were developed.
Using this system, voters make a mark on a paper ballot to indicate their
choice of candidate or issue. A scanning device reads the marked entries and
calculates vote totals. These systems can count ballots as they are deposited,
or count ballots only after the close of voting.
More
recently, a new type of system, called the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
voting system has been developed. This system records votes by means of a
ballot display provided via mechanical or electro-optical devices that can be
activated by the voter. Once the voter has made his ballot selections, the
device processes the data with a computer programme, and records voting data
and ballot images into internal memory devices. It can produce a tabulation of
the voting data as a hard copy printout, or store it in a removable memory
device.
Technology and Complex Electoral Systems
Voting
directly, using mechanical or electronic devices, or machine-readable ballots,
is relatively straightforward where simple electoral systems are used, such as
first past the post or list systems. In these cases, voters are able to
indicate their choices in a relatively simple way, for example, by making one
mark or pulling one lever.
It is
more difficult to use these methods in complex electoral systems that permit
many multiple-choice responses, or require candidates or parties to be ranked
in numerical preference. As technology improves, it is likely that effective
methods will be available to meet the needs of these systems.
Deciding to Use Technology to Communicate Results
Some
jurisdictions have experimented with communication systems that use computer-assisted
technology, where the voting station official enters the election results on
the key pad of a telephone or similar device connected to a results-counting
computer located at a remote centre. A paper-based balloting system and manual
counting procedure are still used; automation is limited to the communication
and collection of results from polling stations.
Internet and World Wide Web
As
access to public computer networks increases, electoral officials may post
future election results directly on the World Wide Web, or other interface on
the emerging information highway. Already tested in some jurisdictions with
varying degrees of success, election results can be posted instantaneously to a
global audience using the Internet.
