Ballot papers are one of the highest volume items of material produced for an election--and the most important one. It is essential that the design of the ballot paper is simple so that it can be clearly understood by all voters, and subsequently accurately assessed by counting staff as it is the form that translates voters' preferred party or candidate into their vote.
In all systems, strict quality control measures on ballot production are required to ensure that ballot papers are accurately printed. Where ballot papers are liable items, strict controls on ballot paper security and integrity to protect the validity of voting processes is necessary.
Ballot Paper Design
Many of the elements of ballot paper design are dependent on the voting system employed. Major design features are usually defined in electoral legislation. Within these constraints however, there is room for electoral administrators to simplify and clarify the design so that the voter's task in marking a ballot properly is facilitated.
Not all systems are based on voters marking a preference on a ballot. In some systems tokens instead of ballot papers are used. In others voters select their preferred vote from a range of choices.
The range of designs currently in use varies from those that are difficult to comprehend to those that contain considerable information to assist voters in recognizing their preferred candidate, through inclusion of party symbols and/or candidate photographs, and clear instructions on how to mark the ballot correctly. (For a discussion of ballot paper design, see Ballot Design.)
Ballot Production
Ballot paper production is a critical time in the election process. Time pressures can be intense, especially where full detail ballots have to be prepared for early voting within a few days of successful candidate or party nominations being announced.
No matter what the time pressures are, it is critical, particularly for "mark choice" ballot papers, that strict quality control measures are applied to ballot production (see Printing of Ballots).
Integrity
• Strict controls will be required on quantities of ballot papers produced, distributed, used by voters, and remaining unused at the conclusion of voting day where ballot papers are liable items.
• Reconciliations of ballot papers at various stages of the process, most importantly on delivery of ballot papers to voting stations, at the close of voting, and at the completion of the count, are required for assurance that no ballot papers are missing and that no fraudulent ballots have been introduced. Production methods that package ballot papers in accurate standard packs will simplify these reconciliations.
• Controls on the authenticity of ballots are required so that there is assurance that all ballots in the ballot box are genuine and have been issued properly by election officials to voters. Simple and complex methods exist for this, from the expensive, such as printing ballot papers on security paper or using security print methods, to the economical, such as election officials validating each ballot when it is issued by signing or initialing its reverse side.
The cost-effectiveness and any additional integrity of more expensive methods have to be very critically assessed when deciding what ballot integrity measures to implement. (For further discussion of ballot production integrity issues, see Printed Ballot Integrity Controls.)
Machine tabulated ballots
Machine tabulated or electronic voting is gaining popularity as an alternative form of voting. Proponents of electronic voting cite several advantages such as no possibility of invalid votes, accurate vote capturing, faster voting process, and reduction in number of electoral officials required at a voting station.
As this is a new form of voting, electoral management bodies, the electoral and political parties, are not in agreement as to its reliability or efficacy. There maybe accusations of voting machine manipulation and the lack of a paper trail may be cited as proof of manipulation.
Electoral management bodies considering introducing electronic voting would need to research and investigate appropriate technology and consult those countries who have trailed electronic voting.
