The electoral costs of registration and elections may be difficult to calculate and compare as they often vary depending on a number of factors, such as the level of responsibility and tasks of the EMB, number of elections in an election year, the timing and sequence of elections, personnel and operational costs, and more.
The Cost of Registration and Elections Encyclopaedia topic evaluates the methods by which election budgets are established, tracked and funded; identifies the cost-management practices that can be adopted by EMBs; establishes a methodology for the comparative assessment of electoral costs with a goal of helping election organizers and policy makers to identify ways of managing financial resources, measure their relative costs of operations with other EMBs, and reduce the cost of electoral events.