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.