The electoral administration must have the staff it needs. Otherwise it may encounter integrity problems resulting from ignorance or mistakes. Hiring the right person for a job will make the system work better, eliminating many potential integrity problems. The right person is usually someone with professional experience, attitude and training. The right person is also honest and upholds principles of professional conduct.
To create an election management body with a professional, honest and dedicated staff, the following factors should be taken into consideration.
Develop a strict staffing procedure
One of the first steps for an electoral management body should be to determine its internal structure and its staffing procedure. For this purpose, electoral administrators may draw up an organizational chart delineating the responsibilities of the different divisions and staff members.
Most divisions of an electoral management body are formed according to the function they perform and the responsibilities they fulfill—management, internal administration (including human resources), finance, operations, legal services, technical support and public relations. Charting of staffing and working procedures can facilitate the development of a rational staffing model. A statement of clear objectives for each division and each staff member may avert integrity problems that could arise if employees are unclear about their responsibilities, and may prevent duplication of tasks.
Distributing the organizational chart to all employees ensures that all know how they fit into the overall structure, how the chain of command works, what their responsibilities are, to whom they must report and how information flows through the system.
An organizational chart can help maintain integrity in recruitment since it tells human resources managers how many people they need to hire, what the job requirements are for a particular position and who is the supervisor for that position. Since a chart also ranks personnel according to responsibilities, it enables each position to be classified on a professional and salary scale. If this system is adhered to, it can help ensure that qualified people are hired for the right position and receive pay commensurate with their level of work.
An organizational chart may serve as a monitoring tool because it indicates the supervisor for each staff member. Staff supervision is another important element in safeguarding election integrity.
Recruit through competition
Integrity requires that staff be recruited on the basis of merit, not favouritism. Advertising open positions is a way of inviting applications from people with the appropriate qualifications. Enough time should be allowed for the information to circulate and for interested people to apply.
Establish written personnel policies
Integrity requires standardized personnel policies to ensure that all employees are treated equally and know their rights and responsibilities. Policies should be written down and distributed to all employees.
Most public sector employers, including electoral administrators, place standards of professional behaviour and a code of ethics in their personnel policies. The penalties for breach of the code are usually specified.
Offer competitive pay for professional staff
The payroll is a significant part of an election budget and is usually kept to a minimum when funds are low. However, low pay for electoral workers can create integrity problems, such as:
- lower productivity or strikes;
- the temptation for employees to use their position as a means of supplementing their income by demanding user fees or accepting bribes or gifts;
- employee theft of supplies or equipment needed to run an election;
- the possibility that employees will withhold voters lists, tally sheets or ballots to support demands for a pay raise;
- the danger that disgruntled employees will accept payoffs to tamper with the process or to close their eyes to irregularities.
Unhappy employees have been a major source of integrity problems in several elections. For example, in Haiti’s 2000 elections, election workers in northern districts refused to take training unless they received better pay. The result was that election materials could not be delivered to polling stations until the morning of the election. [1]
Provide training
Election workers must be properly trained so that they can act to promote integrity rather than cause integrity problems. In addition to understanding how to do their jobs, workers need to know about general integrity issues and the control mechanisms built into the system to safeguard integrity. The integrity of the process is reinforced if they can become familiar with the complaints process and are encouraged to make suggestions for improving the system. Good training can substantially reduce errors that are the cause of many integrity problems. It also helps deter attempts to subvert the system since it makes employees and employers aware of the control mechanisms in place and how to use them.
Ensure supervision
Effective supervision is another tool for promoting integrity and sound management. It can help ensure that employees do their jobs effectively and in the professional and ethical manner required for free, fair and credible elections. Supervisors can identify problem employees and areas, and ensure that necessary corrective measures are taken.
NOTES
[1] Noel, Theo, advisor in the 1999 Indonesian elections, communication with Sue Nelson.
