Voting operations communications require reliable and secure information networks that provide access throughout all areas of the elections. Potential communications facilities are major determinants in devising voting operations systems, procedures, and reliable administrative structures.
A country’s communications infrastructure is subjected to intensive testing during times of peak load for a national election, on and around voting day. Careful consideration and examination of a communications infrastructure needs to be given as it will not be possible to run a full simulation of all voting day communication in advance.
Communications Needs
There are two broad needs for consideration when assessing communications infrastructure capabilities:
• internal communications, i.e., between the different components of voting operations administration, such as administration offices and facilities, voting stations, counting centres, mobile field staff, technical advisers, security providers, suppliers and
• external communications, i.e., between voting operations administrators and voters.
Internal Communications
The massive peak load on voting day is the major focus in assessing the capacities of a current communication infrastructure. Relevant considerations will include:
• existing telecommunications networks--fixed line, mobile phone, and radio--and their coverage;
• reliability of telecommunications networks--load capacities, switching quality, service and maintenance capacities, including any reliance on foreign components or expertise;
• reliability of electricity supply in maintaining telecommunications;
• existence and coverage of radio communications networks;
• availability of telephone and radio equipment for office, voting station and personal use;
• existence, coverage, load capacity, and reliability of data or document communications networks by computer or facsimile transmission;
• levels, reliability, and maintenance support available for data and document transfer equipment;
• security of telecommunications networks, particularly where emergency or security communications and data transfer is involved;
• the skills base available for operation of voice, data, and document telecommunication facilities or radio;
• ability to extend existing communications networks--costs, component availability, and lag times on construction;
• the coverage and reliability of postal and other direct mail services.
Effects of Communications Infrastructure
Available communications infrastructure will not only determine communications strategies but may also influence issues such as:
• the location of voting sites, election administration offices at the local level, and counting centres;
• result deadlines and calculation methods.
For example:
• direct communication links with all voting stations on voting day are highly desirable. It is generally unwise to place voting stations in locations with no fixed line communications or satisfactory radio or mobile phone reception;
• where counting systems rely on speedy document or data transfer to central locations for amalgamation of results, the use of special counting centres may be required where all voting stations do not have access to or equipment for the required communications systems.
Consistency in Communications Methods
Consideration of the following can assist in consistent communication methods:
• use of consistent communication facilities within the area of the election is preferable to enable greater consistency of procedures and training;
• government sponsored networks will often have the greatest coverage and reliability, and voting operations communications strategies would generally seek to maximize use of these;
• in many countries, not only developing ones, military and security force communications networks are the most extensive, reliable, and most capable of quick supplementation to meet voting station needs. Before aligning networks with existing power or government structures take care to ensure that no perceptions of lack of integrity arise.
Use of a variety of local existing communications facilities may be feasible, particularly if there is a stable, locally-based administrative structure for voting operations where there is no national communications network. However, this may provide inefficient and in particular where security issues are involved, dangerously degraded information transfer.
• consider additional fixed lines, upgrading existing load capacities, additional telecommunications towers for radio or mobile phones where communications infrastructure in particular areas is poor.
Given the lead times generally required for installation and testing of upgraded telecommunications facilities and their costs, this should be implemented only when it is certain that these additional facilities can be installed in time and it provides a cost-effective solution. Cost efficiencies will include situations where substantial public benefit will be derived from continuing use of the additional facilities after the election.
External Communications
Communications infrastructure considerations for external communications will relate to:
• providing information on voting operations to voters and the general public;
• the ability to offer some special voting facilities that are dependent on reliable and speedy communication.
Infrastructural considerations for voter and public information campaigns will have a different focus than internal communication considerations. In this context, mass media infrastructure and penetration is a major consideration, along with more targeted systems relying on telecommunications and mail infrastructure and personal contact, in developing effective communications strategies. (For detailed discussion of external communication issues in relation to voter information, see Voter Information)
Special Voting Facilities
Communications infrastructure will determine the viability of using mail or telecommunications for the conduct of voting. Postal voting is not only a form of absentee voting but conducting elections using solely mail voting has been recently demonstrated, in some highly developed societies to be a highly cost effective method of conducting an election.
When considering voting by mail a number of infrastructural issues need to be considered, including:
• standardisation of nomenclature of individual addresses to ensure that mail ballots are delivered to the correct voter.
• an effective and reliable mail system with quick pick-up and delivery turnaround times is necessary to ensure certainty of mail ballot delivery into the right hands.
• even if correctly delivered, especially in remote areas, the minimum possible elapsed time between despatch of ballots to voters by the electoral management body and return receipt of completed ballots from voters may exceed the deadline for return of mail ballots.
With regard to the use of telecommunications in voting, some jurisdictions now accept ballots received by fax transmission or radio telephone. Where the necessary infrastructure is available, such means may provide the most effective access for voters in small remote communities or for voting from foreign countries.
Technological advances are beginning to tap the potential of home-based voting using telecommunications systems for voting by telephone or by using the internet. Before such voting methods are considered for implementation, the election system and the communications infrastructure must be secure, reliable, and accessible to voters.
