Budget
The
budget costs associated with vote counting are linked to the larger process of
establishing and running results management system.
The
following information relates to the considerations that should be taken into
account in planning an election budget.
Personnel Planning
The
salaries and fees paid to counting and tabulation staff usually constitutes one
of the largest part of the election's voting day budget. Personnel costs can
include:
- electoral management body staff based at national
headquarters (regular and temporary),
- regional, electoral district and local electoral officers,
- field offices staff (regular and temporary),
- election officials,
- information technology support, maintenance and
operations personnel,
- counting, tabulation and aggregation staff,
- substitute voting counting, tabulation, and aggregation
staff on stand-by,
- security personnel,
- logistics and warehousing personnel,
- training fees for counting staff, results tabulation
staff, media results center staff and security personnel,
- travel fees (to attend training or to reach duty
station),
- food and water or meal allowance, if long hours are
required,
- overtime pay.
Using civil servants or citizens who are either
volunteers or on civic duty, are ways in which to save salary costs to voting
station and counting centre officials. Using the same officials in subsequent
elections will decrease training costs.
Materials
Many kinds of materials must be developed and mass-produced for use in
voting stations and counting centres. These include:
- training materials, which can include printed manuals,
audio-video presentations, posters, pamphlets, role-cards, sample materials,
home workbooks, and training simulations for mock elections;
- forms for counting, aggregation, tabulation, corrections,
chain of custody. Many of these forms are required in numerous copies as also
election observers and party agents need copies at every step of the process;
- public awareness campaign, in addition to information
posters and signs at every voting station, counting center and national media
results center;
- electoral fraud deterrence and detection solutions, such
as indelible/invisible ink and UV readers, and tamper-evident bags;
- any electronic devices used in voting stations, counting
centres, tabulation hubs and results media center;
- communication systems to transmit interim results from
voting stations and/or counting centers to national results center;
- information for candidates and party representatives;
- stationery items such as pens, pencils, rulers, rubber
bands, calculators envelopes, writing paper, and labels, ID-badges for staff.
Choosing materials carefully can save costs. Materials
that can be re-used for several electoral events, such as metal ballot boxes,
may lead to cost savings, but the cost of storing materials must be taken into
account.
Alternatively, materials which cost less to produce,
but which may only be used once, such as cardboard ballot boxes, do not have to
be stored and may be cheaper.
There will also be a freight component in the cost of
most electoral materials. Items made locally may be cheaper than items made elsewhere,
when freight is taken into account.
Rental of Premises
Renting space for use as voting stations, counting
centres, tabulation facilities and national results centre can be a significant
budget item. In addition, storage of necessary material for the count process
prior to its commencement, as well as warehousing of results related material
from thousands of voting stations, require substantial warehouse capacity at
national and sub-national levels.
In some jurisdictions, the electoral laws allow the
electoral management body to use schools and other public locations as voting
stations at no cost. However, some regions may not have available public
facilities, and the budget should plan for additional funds required to rent
voting and counting locations.
In some countries, the electoral management body may
be able to negotiate with the relevant authorities to get free access to
schools and other public locations. Otherwise, there will be a need to rent
space for voting stations and counting centres. The budget should provide
adequately for this.
Premises in which high-technology equipment will be
stored, even for a short time, may have to offer control over temperature,
humidity or dust. This has significant cost implications often overlooked by
EMBs when they consider the introduction of technology into vote counting and
result management systems.
Office Equipment and Communications Fees
Necessary
office equipment, such as chairs and tables, are often sufficient when counting
is conducted at voting station level. However, when centralized count is
utilized these large venues also require industrial-strength and sized shelving
system, forklifts, large generators to ensure reliable power-supply, ablution
facilities, canteen, security and safety arrangements.
If
required, equipment such as personal computers, scanners, Internet service,
intranet, and cell phones may also need to be budgeted for accordingly.
Ideally,
each voting station and counting centre should have the means to quickly
communicate with the electoral management body to report problems, seek advice
if needed, and transmit counting results.
Transport
Local
conditions and common sense will indicate the most appropriate and
cost-effective transport for the region concerned.
Election
management bodies must ensure that electoral material is transported securely,
so that it is not tampered with, stolen, or destroyed. For this reason, it may
be desirable to avoid public and commercial transit systems, although these can
be used if appropriate.
Electoral
material may be transported by: motor vehicles, boats, helicopters, light
aircraft, commercial aircraft, or even animals that can carry loads, depending
on local circumstances. Transport is particularly difficult in remote areas,
and can be very expensive. Even well packaged technology is at risk of damage
if not properly handled and transported. While the hard case often supplied
with elections technology offers standard protection, it is not a guarantee
against all impacts.
Vehicles
may be supplied by a government agency, the military, the police, or national
or international organizations. If vehicles are not supplied, they may need to
be rented. If necessary, the budget should include ancillary costs to cover
maintenance, fuel, and insurance. The budget may also need to allow for drivers
or crew. If no vehicles are available, money for taxis and public or commercial
transport should be considered.
If
electoral materials have to be transported from voting stations to counting
centres, or to a central location, these costs must be included in the budget.
Voter Education Programmes
Voter
education programmes can be a large part of an election budget, depending on
the methods chosen and the location. Informing the general public about the
results management system and processes often form an integral part of the
public information activities of an EMB. This would improve people’s and
political stakeholders’ understanding of the results generating process and
thereby increase transparency and reduce rumours and misconceptions, which
could undermine the credibility of the results.
Methods
can range from newspapers, radio and television advertising, to posters,
pamphlets, direct mail, community seminars, and the Internet.
Software and Hardware
If
specific software is developed to process or count ballots, or to process
election results, development, testing, documentation, and training costs must
be budgeted. The hardware required operating the software, its deployment in
the field, and the technical support required to maintain and service it will
need to be included.
Operational
support costs, such as staff, office space and facilities, should be included
as necessary.
Results Centres or Counting Facilities
Many
jurisdictions have regional and/or national results centres or counting rooms.
These are useful to communicate the election result to the public, the
candidates, the parties, and the media, and are an important element in making
the election process open and transparent.
Counting
rooms can be simple, with manual count boards and simple communication links by
telephone or fax, or they can be very sophisticated, with computer links,
displays and analysis. In this electronic age, election results may also be
distributed electronically by computer feeds or the Internet, with no need for
a physical counting location.
In some
cases, counting rooms are organized and funded by media organizations. In
others, the election management body funds these. The election budget should
include the cost of results centres or counting rooms as appropriate.
Miscellaneous Costs
Petty
cash for small purchases or emergencies should be provided to the local offices
of the electoral management body.
Contingency
measures for bigger items such as relocation of offices in case of disaster,
redeployment of electoral management body staff, and backup electrical
generators should be budgeted according to local risk factors and the general
operating environment.
Financial Audit Procedures and Assets Control
System
Suitable
audit procedures should be in place to ensure that staff responsible for
managing funds are fully accountable and are not able to appropriate funds
illegally. Records of all valuable assets should be kept to ensure that assets
are not disposed of illegally or go missing. An assets control system clearly
outlines how to track procured goods, inventory regulations, areas of
responsibilities, and how the organization can dispose of assets. Election
officials should be aware that they are accountable for the funds and goods under
their control, and they should be aware of the penalties for misusing their
position.
